FA vow to act over fan misbehaviour after assault on Aston Villa's Jack Grealish
The Football Association have promised a crackdown on fan misbehaviour after Villa’s Jack Grealish was assaulted during Sunday’s Second City derby.
Villa skipper Grealish was knocked to the ground after being punched by Paul Mitchell, a Blues supporter who raced onto the pitch at St Andrew’s.
The FA have now written to Blues seeking their observations and to find what security measures were in place.
It came on the same day a supporter shoved Manchester United defender Chris Smalling during their 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The FA has written to both home clubs, Blues and Arsenal, and is keen to learn what security measures both had i place for the respective fixtures.
An FA spokesperson said: "This weekend a line has been crossed in terms of fan behaviour. On Sunday we saw two separate incidents, at Birmingham City and Arsenal, of individuals entering the field of play and assaulting players.
“Not only is it an offence to enter the pitch, which could result in a club ban and criminal charges for the individual, but it also puts the safety of the players at risk. This is entirely unacceptable and we strongly condemn both incidents.
"We will be working with the clubs, the leagues and the police to discuss what collectively needs to be done to protect players and officials on the pitch.
“In addition, we have written to both Birmingham City and Arsenal to seek their observations to examine the security measures they had in place."
