Roy Keane was allegedly headbutted by a fan on Sunday, with the former Manchester United captain at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium as part of his punditry duties for Sky Sports
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Arsenal V Manchester United: Pictures
Roy Keane was allegedly headbutted as he made his way back to the Emirates Stadium pitch to analyse Manchester United’s defeat at Arsenal.
A member of the public allegedly assaulted the former United midfielder on Sunday, leading to a Police investigation. The Met Police issued a statement on Monday, declaring: “A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault.”
Keane, and ex-England and Manchester City defender Micah Richards were working as studio pundits for Sky at the game, alongside former Gunners ace Theo Walcott. Mirror Football understands that Keane, 52, was confronted by a man at the top of the West Stand as the Irishman made his way towards a lift to take him down to the pitchside area.
The alleged incident is understood to have happened shortly after United star Alejandro Garnacho saw his goal ruled out in the 88th minute with the score 1-1, before the Gunners grabbed two late goals to secure a 3-1 triumph in front of their home fans.
Having seen Garnacho’s goal ruled out, Keane and his fellow pundits raced back to the studio to analyse the incident. As he waited for the lift to make his way down to pitchside, Keane was allegedly then confronted by a fan, who, it’s understood, attempted to headbutt the Irishman. Footage emerged on social media on Sunday night, appearing to show Richards speaking to a man while grabbing the front of his shirt with his two hands, as a young woman looks on.
A man wearing a suit is then seen trying to separate the pair before Keane moves across and also appears to grab the male’s shirt. The former players are seen in the same clothing they wore for Sky’s Super Sunday programme. Richards is seen wearing a black backpack while Keane, 52, has a jacket in his hand during the incident. The duo were on air until 7:30pm in north London on Sunday evening when Sky’s coverage ended.
It remains unknown if the man seen in the clip with Richards was involved in the alleged altercation with Keane. Sky Sports clarified Richards’ involvement after the clip emerged on Sunday night and said in a statement: “Micah Richards was acting to diffuse a situation.”
Micah Richards is seen confronting a man on Sunday evening
Roy Keane approaches a man during the incident
Met Police statement confirmed they had launched an investigation but there had been no arrests, with enquiries ongoing. A statement read: “Police are investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, 3 September.”
And a spokesperson for Sky Sports told Mirror Football: “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 diffuse a situation.” It’s understood they will now be beefing up security around their star pundits.
Arsenal also issued a statement when asked for comment by Mirror Football. An Arsenal 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.”
Roy Keane fulfilled his Sky Sports duties after the incident (
Image:
Sky Sports)
Richards, 35, retired from football in 2019 after spells with Manchester City, Fiorentina and Aston Villa before embarking on a successful punditry career.
Alongside his role with Sky, he is also a regular on BBC’s Match of the Day and has teamed up with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer for a new podcast, The Rest Is Football. He is also a team captain on Sky panel show A League of Their Own alongside Jamie Redknapp. He and ex-Manchester United captain Keane have struck up an unlikely bond during their time together off the field. They have teamed up for a series of Sky spin-off shows documenting different travel trips together.
The United legend joined Sky in 2019 and continues to be a big hit with his no-nonsense punditry style. He has also regularly covered live matches for ITV during recent international tournaments.
Keane and Richards regularly work on Sky’s Super Sunday programme and will likely be back on TV screens together after the international break on September 17 when Bournemouth face Chelsea and Arsenal travel to Everton.
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Arsenal won the encounter at the Emirates 3-1 thanks to two late goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus to take them into fifth in the Premier League. Marcus Rashford had opened the scoring for United in the first half but Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard levelled almost immediately.
Speaking after the match, Keane suggested Arsenal were best-placed to challenge Manchester City for the title after just falling short last season.
“It is unfair to compare them to Man City but last season they were the best of the rest. I would say they are the strongest group again amongst the other teams.”
“It was a big win today and will give them momentum, some players making an impact from the bench. The feel-good factor will be back but if they had dropped points against United, it would have been a huge setback. They have a spring in their step now.”
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