A 42-year-old football fan has been arrested on suspicion of assault after Roy Keane was subjected to an alleged headbutt at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Keane was working as a pundit for Sky Sports at Arsenal’s dramatic clash with Manchester United when he was allegedly attacked by a fan.
Footage emerged on social media of Micah Richards, Keane’s fellow pundit on Sky, furiously grappling with a man inside the stadium.
Sky said the video was filmed immediately after the alleged assault.
The incident is thought to have occurred as Keane and Richards attempted to make their way down to pitchside for their post-match punditry duties. It is claimed that Richards quickly stepped in to push the fan away from Keane, with Sky saying that the former England defender was “acting to defuse a situation”.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, 4 September, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault (ABH). The man has been taken into police custody. Enquiries are ongoing.”
A Sky Sports spokesperson said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media. In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.”
Arsenal won the match 3-1 with two stoppage-time goals, scored by Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus, prompting an extraordinary outpouring of noise and emotion within the stadium. A few minutes before Rice’s winning goal, United thought they had won the game when Alejandro Garnacho scored on the counter-attack for the visitors. The goal was disallowed for offside, though, and Arsenal soon struck at the other end.
Keane, the former United captain, is arguably Sky’s most recognisable and high-profile pundit. He went on to complete his post-match punditry duties as normal.
An Arsenal club spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident that took place during our match against Manchester United on Sunday. The Metropolitan Police is conducting an investigation into the matter and we are fully cooperating with their enquiries.”
