Hiram Moreno
Field invasions appear to be a daily occurrence in English football, despite the game being regarded as a safe spectator sport since the “Hooligans” were eradicated. It appears that fans have been unable to contain their emotions following their teams’ achievements in the last games of the season, with Everton fans becoming the latest to do so on Thursday.
Nottingham Forest fans invaded the pitch following their team’s victory in the Championship promotion playoff semi-final, which sparked some altercations in the crowd. The same happened after Everton guaranteed their Premier League status with a 3-2 comeback against Crystal Palace: “Toffees” fans jumped onto the pitch at Goodison Park after the final whistle in a season that had been quite challenging.
During the fan invasion, Palace coach Patrick Vieira was caught on camera kicking an Everton fan after being provoked many times. The man looks to be holding a phone up to the Frenchman’s face, which the Arsenal icon appears to dislike as he tries to steal the phone off him before kicking the Everton fan to the ground.
Because reporters did not ask questions about it at the post-match press conference, it appears that the facts were not provided until after the match. However, now that the footage is in the public eye, it won’t be long until the FA acts on the incident, which may cost Vieira dearly.
The Everton manager doesn’t seem to have a problem with these invasions.
Everton manager Frank Lampard, who helped the team gain continuity after replacing Rafael Benítez in the middle of the season, expressed his support for this type of fan action.
It was pure euphoria from the fans who entered the field after avoiding relegation. If it’s done properly, let them be on the pitch, let them have their moment. As long as they behave, there’s no problem.
Frank Lampard
However, a problem may have occurred, since Everton fans intended to invade the pitch after Dominic Calvert Lewin’s goal made it 3-2 in the final minutes of the game.
It was certainly a moment of pure euphoria that fans will hope they never have to relive next season.
