A Manchester City fan has been fired from his job and whacked with a three-year ban from attending games after he threw a pie into the crowd during a game.
Aaron Johnson, 30, said he had been hit by the pie and then chucked it back in a ‘moment of madness’ during City’s Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon earlier this year.
Tensions ran high between the two sets of fans during the game, with numerous missiles being thrown, injuring two fans. One hundred fans were refused entry into the Etihad Stadium for the match, while 47 people were kicked out of the stadium due to their behaviour.
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After the final whistle, Johnson was identified as one of the supporters who had launched a number of items at fans, including the aforementioned pie and a cup containing some liquid.
Johnson, from Stockport, appeared at Manchester Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to throwing a missile at a spectators area. He was handed a £40 fine and banned from going to any football matches in the UK and abroad for three years.
He’s also lost his job as a chef as a result of the incident.
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Prosecuting, Eileen Rogers told the court that since stadiums had reopened since the coronavirus pandemic there had been a ‘dramatic increase’ in violent and anti-social behaviour.
During the game in question, ‘several items, including coins’ had been thrown by fans.
At around 9.50pm, when the game was over, officers started to remove fans from the stadium - it was at this point that Johnson hurled a pie. He also threw the cup of liquid and it was ‘possible’ he threw other items, the court was told.
He was cautioned by police who said they had seen him throwing the items, to which he replied: “I have thrown a pie and a drink.” He was placed in handcuffs and arrested.
In court, defence lawyer Nnamdi Inegbu said: “This was a one off, it was a moment of madness.”
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Inegbu said there had been an ‘element of provocation’ on both sides during the game.
“He will say the pie he threw was an object that had landed on him. It landed on his face and clothes and he hauled it back,” he said.
“He deeply regrets his actions and recognises he let himself down, let his friend down and let Manchester City down. He can’t believe he put himself in this position and is disgusted with his actions.
“He understands why the police have a zero tolerance approach to this behaviour and he wishes, through me, to apologise to Manchester City, the players, the supporters, his friends and family."
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Manchester JPs fined Johnson, of Hanover Towers, £40, and ordered him to pay £34 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
Claire Reid