Two individuals caught the crowd’s attention at the Singapore Sports Hub for invading the pitch after the friendly match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace on July 15.
The English Premier League teams are in Singapore as part of their pre-season tour. Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0, with Jordan Henderson and Mo Salah securing the goals.
As the winning team greeted fans at the end of the match, a supporter in red was caught on camera vaulting over the pitch barrier and sprinting onto the field.
Another guy in red followed and jumped over the barrier, although not as cleanly as his predecessor.
The man tumbled to the field and rolled over. He quickly regained his stance and approached the team, only to be tackled back to the ground by an officer.
Meanwhile, the first individual ran around the pitch, side-stepping officials along the way.
He was eventually captured as he stepped away from two officials while another grabbed him from behind.
In another video by TikTok user @your_backside_smelly, the crowds could be heard cheering as the officials restrained the man.
Facebook page Complaint Singapore member David Wong also uploaded a video of the aftermath, with the pitch invaders being escorted out of the stadium.
“I applaude their action. This could be their only or biggest achievement in life. Not surprising if they include this as a milestone in their resume for future job interviews,” commented Facebook user Alex Choo while others noted the man got his “one minute of fame.”
British sports channel Sky Sports experts have weighed in on the issue of pitch invaders after Jack Grealish was punched during an Aston Villa game against Birmingham and Chris Smalling was pushed during a Manchester United-Arsenal match in 2019.
Then chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association Gordon Taylor said the incidents were “disgraceful” and should be addressed before it’s “too late and there is going to be a tragedy.”
Current pundit at Sky Sports Graeme Souness said such individuals should not be allowed to return to the stadium.
“Name him, shame him, and ban him for life with no chance of ever coming back into the stadium and say this will happen to anybody else who comes onto the pitch,” he said, referring to the pitch invader who pushed Chris Smalling.
“He will have his 30 seconds of fame, but then he can never come back and watch Arsenal; that’s what should happen to him. He’s just a village idiot who wanted his 30 seconds; ban him for life.”
UK news magazine The Week reported on May 23, 2022, that a “social contract has been broken” as public respect for the pitch is gone.
The Football Association said it is up to the clubs to “play a vital role in addressing the issue”, whether through stricter enforcement of existing laws or capacity reduction. Separating supporters from one another and the pitch by using netting or fences has also been considered./TISG
@hafiz_rhd Pitch invaders! #singapore #nationalstadium #liverpoolfc #crystalpalacefc #fyp #ynwa
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