Grealish attacker in custody, no complaint over steward

West Midlands Police has confirmed Jack Grealish's attacker has been arrested on suspicion of encroachment onto the pitch and assault.

Published : Mar 11, 2019 07:38 IST

A man is held by a steward after punching Aston Villa's Jack Grealish
A man is held by a steward after punching Aston Villa's Jack Grealish
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A man is held by a steward after punching Aston Villa's Jack Grealish

The Birmingham City fan who attacked Jack Grealish is in custody while a steward was spoken to following the Aston Villa star's goal at St Andrew's, police has confirmed.

Villa captain Grealish was punched from behind by a pitch invader in the early stages of Sunday's derby.

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of encroachment onto the pitch and assault, with host Birmingham announcing the individual will be banned for life.

READ| Grealish attacked by fan in Birmingham-Villa clash

Grealish showed no ill effects from the incident and went on to score the only goal in his side's 1-0 victory before leaping over the advertising hoarding to celebrate with the away supporters.

Television footage showed a member of security being led away by authorities after appearing to forcibly push the 23-year-old back onto the playing field.

West Midlands Police confirmed a steward was spoken to in the aftermath of Grealish's goal but that "no offence has been reported at this stage".

"An attack on a player is completely unacceptable and outrageous," match commander, superintendent Nick Rowe said of the initial incident.
 
"The vast majority of people were well behaved but unfortunately the occasion has been marred by this.
 
"We currently have a man in custody for questioning and will be working with Birmingham City Football Club as we fully investigate what happened."

The police made four arrests in total for suspected assault or violent disorder offences.

Enquiries are ongoing relating to objects being thrown at officers, while offensive social media posts directed towards Grealish will be reviewed.

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