Birmingham City Football Club drew its first game in its return to the EFL Championship, English soccer’s second tier, but the opening game festivities turned sour following an altercation between a fan and a player late on.
The moment was captured on the TV broadcast which showed a fan appearing to make contact with Ipswich Town’s Jack Taylor after the away side equalized in added time during the 1-1 draw.
Newly promoted Birmingham City – the soccer club where legendary quarterback Tom Brady is a minority owner – had taken the lead against Ipswich Town when star striker Jay Stansfield fired into an open net in the 55th minute.
But with time running out, Ipswich Town’s George Hirst calmly equalized from the penalty spot to give the visiting side a share of the points at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, Birmingham.
The decision to award the late penalty kick was a contentious one and tensions boiled over during Ipswich Town’s celebrations.
Players from both teams pushed and grabbed hold of each other as the incident moved past the goal and toward the section of fans behind it.
Footage then shows a fan jumping over the barriers toward the players where he appeared to make contact with Ipswich Town’s Taylor.
This fan was then pulled away from the crowd of players by stadium security.
“I think there might have been an incident with the crowd and one of the players, to be honest, that maybe wasn’t ideal,” Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna told the Sky Sports broadcast after the game.
“It’ll be seen or it’ll be reported and let’s see,” McKenna added.
The English Football Association (FA) told CNN on Saturday they were aware of the incident and will be investigating further.
The West Midlands Police told CNN they are working with Birmingham City Football Club and are reviewing CCTV footage to establish the full circumstances.
CNN has reached out to Birmingham City and Ipswich Town for comment.
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