Hiram Moreno
Nottingham Forest’s victory over Sheffield United in the penalty shootout of the Championship playoffs’ semi-final generated a commotion among the club’s supporters, who invaded the pitch to celebrate. The excitement is more than understandable, as Nottingham Forest, who were twice European Cup winners, are just one step away from returning to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.
However, the swarm of people after the football match was a suitable moment for all kinds of actions. A Nottingham Forest fan has been in jail for 24 weeks due to assaulting Sheffield United player Billy Sharp; in addition to this, another Sheffield United striker could soon join him behind bars after a video of his unfortunate actions surfaced.
We are talking about Scotsman Oliver McBurnie, who was caught on camera trampling a Nottingham Forest fan during the pitch invasion. This was a clear show of frustration after his team was eliminated, prompting an investigation to be immediately opened against him after the video went viral.
The striker was summoned by Nottinghamshire police for a meeting, to which he can attend voluntarily; however, if he doesn’t, he may be arrested in order to complete the investigation, according to Sky Sports. The FA also mentioned that they were aware of the footage. Neither Nottingham Forest nor Sheffield United have commented on it so far, though.
Inspector Andy Wright encouraged those involved in the incident and any witnesses to contact them to help as they continue to investigate the case.
We have been made aware of a video circulating on social media showing a possible altercation where a Forest fan can be seen on the ground following the play-off semi-final. We have started an investigation into this incident. The person in question has not yet reported the incident, but we would urge them to come forward along with any other persons who many have witnessed the incident or have video footage, so we can establish the full circumstances.
Andy Wright
Was it simply a misunderstanding with the Nottingham Forest fan?
Oliver McBurnie should be given the benefit of the doubt, since the other version of the story suggests that it was all a big misunderstanding. Firstly, the striker was unable to play in the match due to injury, and a Sheffield kit man mentioned that when fans invaded the pitch, some sought to provoke the Blades players. One of them fell to the ground on McBurnie’s injured foot, so McBurnie tried to walk away from him.
Overnight on Wednesday, McBurnie made his first “statement” regarding the incident, responding with just a “100” emoji on Twitter to a Sheffield fan’s comment that wrote “I wish they could show that video in full context. He appears to be attempting to pass over the man with his injured foot.”
