Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale kicked by fan following North London derby

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale appeared to be kicked in the back by a spectator following Arsenal’s 2-0 victory against Tottenham on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Following the full-time whistle, Ramsdale went around the net to grab his water bottle, when a spectator jumped on an advertising board on the pitch and appeared to land a kick on Ramsdale’s back.

After the match, Ramsdale was asked about the incident: “The Spurs fans were giving me some the second half. I gave them some back, which for the few people who I did do it to was probably well greeted and sportsmanship like and then a fan tried to jump over and give me a little punch in the back.

“It is a shame cause it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players as well tried to bring me away, but yeah, thankfully nothing actually happened too drastically. But it is a sour taste, but I’m sure we will enjoy it when we go back in the dressing room.”

Tottenham said it was appalled by the behavior and added the club is working with the London Metropolitan Police along with Arsenal and Ramsdale to identify the spectator and ban them immediately.

“We are appalled by the behaviour of a supporter that attempted to attack Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of today’s match. Violence in any form has no place in football,” Tottenham said.

“The Club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said in a statement: “Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are happening far too often.

“Players have a right to be safe in their place of work. When a player is attacked we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect them to be properly enforced.

“As the players’ union we treat this as a priority issue. We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”

The FA, English football’s governing body, condemned the spectator’s actions in a statement: “We strongly condemn the incident involving a spectator that followed today’s Premier League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

“This is wholly unacceptable behaviour and we will work together with police, the relevant authorities and the clubs to ensure the appropriate action is taken.”

Sunday’s victory puts the Gunners eight points clear of second place Manchester City in the Premier League standings.

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