The attack by a spectator on goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic from FC Sevilla during the Europa League game at PSV Eindhoven caused great horror. The man ran onto the field during the game and punched the 31-year-old Serb in the face. “It’s unimaginable that you attack a player as a spectator. It’s unfortunate that we have to talk about it,” said PSV coach Ruud van Nistelrooy after Thursday night’s game.
The spectator, dressed in a dark jacket, was overpowered by Dmitrovic and brought down, surrounded by players from both teams and then led off the pitch by security guards. “It’s never good to see that in football, it shouldn’t happen and I hope those things will be punished,” Dmitrovic said of the attack. “I can imagine he was upset about the PSV result. If someone attacks me, I defend myself. He tried to hit me but I was able to hold him down and wait for security to come.”
When the goalkeeper was attacked in injury time in the second half, it was 1-0 for Eindhoven. Dmitrovic was able to continue playing and conceded another goal. Thanks to the 3-0 win in the first leg, Sevilla still reached the round of 16 in Europe’s second most important competition.
According to Eindhoven managing director Marcel Brands, the spectator was taken to a police station. “As a manager, that’s the worst thing that can happen to you. This shouldn’t happen. We’ll work it out with the stewards. If it’s up to me, he’ll be banned from the stadium for life.” PSV face a penalty from UEFA over the incident. “These things have to stop,” demanded Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli.