It was in the context of a decisive match between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield that the attack took place. At the end of a penalty shootout sending Nottingham into the play-off final, an invasion of the field of local fans arises to celebrate the performance of the players.
But that quickly got out of hand. A fan ran in the direction of Billy Sharp before giving him a brutal headbutt. The Nottingham captain instantly collapsed, before getting up with the help of his teammates.
Shocking images that have no place in a football stadium. “Billy was minding his own business and he was assaulted, unawares. It was loose. Billy is shaken and he needs stitches. We have the pictures. We always see people talking about player safety but nothing is ever done about it,” Sheffield manager Paul Heckingbottom said.
The perpetrator was eventually arrested by police and in a statement apologizing to Billy Sharp, Nottingham said the culprit would be banned from the stadium for life.