Hampshire Police have launched an investigation after Cardiff City defender Krystian Bielik appeared to grab a young Portsmouth supporter by the neck during Saturday's Championship match at Fratton Park.
The incident occurred in the 70th minute of Portsmouth's 2-0 win over the Bluebirds. Bielik, 28, went to the sidelines to collect the ball for a throw-in and became involved in a heated exchange with a nearby fan. Replays appeared to show the former Arsenal player grabbing the youngster by the throat. The fan then slapped Bielik and was led out of the stadium by stewards along with his family. The referee briefly stopped the match to cool the situation.
Clubs respond to incident
Portsmouth said in a statement: "Portsmouth Football Club are aware of supporter concerns regarding the incident involving a young fan and an opposition player at yesterday's match at Fratton Park. As this remains a safeguarding matter and is currently under investigation by both the club and the police, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on the circumstances at this time. However, we are aware that a number of claims and assertions are circulating on social media. We would urge caution against speculation while enquiries are ongoing. The welfare and safeguarding of young people are of paramount importance to Portsmouth Football Club. We will continue to liaise with the relevant parties as enquiries progress. No further comment will be made at this stage while investigations remain ongoing."
A Cardiff City spokesperson said: "Cardiff City FC is aware of a confrontation between a small section of Portsmouth supporters and Krystian Bielik at Fratton Park yesterday. We are satisfied with the way that match officials dealt with the situation during the game, having been in full view of it. Player protection will always be of paramount importance to us. It is understood that due process will be undertaken following the submission of the referee's report to the Football Association. As such it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter at this time."
Manager backs officials
Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy said after the game: "I wanted to make sure he (Bielik) was protected and make sure he was okay, which he is. I thought the referee and his staff handled the incident impeccably. I was assured by him the correct processes will take place. He said he'd seen everything which occurred really clearly, so he diffused the situation and implemented the correct processes from there. The players are always subjected to different things that's not acceptable. My job is to protect the players, but really I'm trying to make sure that we play well and win. I'm sure the FA will look at it and implement the correct processes."
The incident will also be the subject of a Football Association investigation after being included in the referee's report.
