Shameful footage has laid bare the scale of abuse an Everton fan aimed at Patrick Vieira which prompted the Crystal Palace manager to lash out after Thursday night's Premier League fixture.
Toffees fans invaded the Goodison Park pitch after their side produced a remarkable comeback to recover from two goals down and win 3-2. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the man to guarantee the hosts' spot in the top flight next season, scoring the decisive goal after Michael Keane and Richarlison brought them level in the second half following strikes from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew.
However, as was the case during the Championship play-off semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United on Tuesday, some supporters failed to behave with the slightest bit of respect as celebrations spilled over onto the pitch.
A clip on Sky Sports showed Vieira was involved in an altercation with a fan which resulted in him attempting to kick his antagoniser. While many sympathised with the Frenchman as he was quite clearly goaded in the build-up, the full extent of the disgraceful abuse he suffered has come to light in fresh footage shared on Twitter.
The clip is filmed from the Everton fan's perspective, showing him going up to Vieira to put his phone in the manager's face and shout: "Suck on that, you muppet. Get in." The fan then cheers loudly before holding up his middle finger to the Palace boss, adding "F*** off."
The next 10 seconds are impossible to make out as the camera shakes wildly and cries of "f*** off" can be heard. Vieira was asked about the incident in his post-match press conference and said: "I do not having anything to say about that." On Friday morning, the Football Association opened an investigation into the incident.
Mirror Football understands Everton are assisting Merseyside Police in their own investigation. Despite a claim from Lord Sugar on Twitter suggesting otherwise, there is no indication there was a racist remark aimed at Vieira.
Meanwhile, Everton manager Frank Lampard was quizzed about fans invading the pitch after the match and defended their right to do so "as long as they behave". He said: "It was [the] pure elation of fans who have come on the pitch after avoiding relegation. If it is done in the right way, let them stay on the pitch, let them have their moment. As long as they behave, no problem."
Lampard also insisted he would have helped Vieira escape the fray, adding: "I feel for Patrick. I didn't get him at the end. I would have said: 'Come in with us,' although he might not have wanted that. Of course, he ran 80 yards across the pitch and it’s not easy."
The pitch invasion at Goodison Park comes at a time of heightened awareness about fan disorder at fixtures. Elsewhere on Thursday, Swindon Town players were attacked by Port Vale after they were defeated in the League Two play-off semi-finals.
Does more need to be done to prevent pitch invasions turning violent? Have your say in the comments!
In the other League Two play-off between Northampton Town and Mansfield Town on Wednesday, Stags forward Jordan Bowery was pushed by a supporter and a flare was thrown at players.
Most notably, the Championship play-off semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United descended into chaos after the former triumphed on penalties to reach Wembley on Tuesday. Blades captain Billy Sharp was headbutted by a Forest fan, Robert Biggs, who has since been sentenced to 24 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £500 in compensation after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.
Although Lampard sees nothing wrong with pitch invasions as long as order is maintained, former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin took a very different view after witnessing the scenes at Vale Park, which Swindon manager Ben Garner branded "disgusting".
"Having fans on the pitch is not the way forward, we have to stop letting fans on the pitch," Dublin said. "You can't have players in fear of their lives if players are on the pitch. For any players or member of staff on the pitch, it's a scary place to be."
