Pitch invasions are largely a thing of the past, however on Sunday we got to see a pitch invasion fail from a solo Arsenal fan.
The Arsenal fan committed the ultimate pitch invasion fail as he charged onto the pitch following Shkodran Mustafi’s header into the Chelsea net. However, Mustafi was offside and the goal was rightly ruled out.
It was quite funny given that the joy that sent him charging onto the pitch was short-lived. Cue pictures of him across social media charging onto the pitch in celebration after the rest of the stadium had noticed the assistant referee’s flag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFtpTCgRoCs
An Arsenal fan was kicked out of Stamford Bridge for running onto the pitch after Mustafi’s offside goal. pic.twitter.com/pg68KGEA4t
— Soccer Memes (@SoccerMemes) September 17, 2017
Pitch Invasion Fail & The Law
Large-scale pitch invasions by Premier League teams are largely a thing of the past but from time to time some fans end up on the pitch in moments of celebration. This can potentially be costly for over-excited fans, as technically invading the pitch at an English Football ground is a criminal offense.
The implementation of this law is patchy at best and it seems few get seriously punished.
Fans are often able to back into the stands without the stewards getting involved. Other times they just get kicked out, it seems that only when there is malicious intent are the fans arrested or punished (in general)
A few Chelsea fans invaded the pitch during the Champions League Final in Munich and all made it back into the Chelsea end without incident.
Arsenal Pitch Invasion Fail Fan’s Fate
The fan during the Arsenal v Chelsea game was intercepted by stewards and escorted from the pitch. He was swiftly ejected by security. It is unclear whether he will face any tougher than that.
Despite him being an Arsenal fan we hope not, excitement is natural in football and the humiliation of national coverage of his premature celebrations seems like punishment enough.
