There were ugly scenes in the Northern Premier League this weekend as a mass brawl broke out involving both players and fans, forcing the match to be abandoned.
High-flying Avro had stormed to a 6-0 lead in their one-sided contest with mid-table Kidsgrove Athletic, well on course to secure a thumping victory when the unsavoury incident occurred.
Kidsgrove had already been reduced to nine men before tempers escalated in the 84th minute, with pitchside footage showing punches being thrown and beers flying behind the goal.
While it is unclear what exactly sparked the violent fracas, videos circulating on social media show two individuals pushing and shoving before both sets of players are dragged into the melee.
At one point in the skirmish, with several young children clearly visible behind him in the stand, the visiting Kidsgrove goalkeeper was seen striking a fan in the face with some force over the advertising hoarding at Avro’s Vestacare Stadium.
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The referee had little option but to blow up and bring the match to an immediate and premature halt, with possible sanctions looming for both teams.
The FA are yet to issue a formal response in relation to the incident and the outcome of the bad-tempered affair remains uncertain at this stage.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
A spokesperson for Avro said the club were ‘appalled’ by the behaviour of those Kidsgrove Athletic players and fans involved in the confrontation.
According to Avro, who sit fourth in the league, the brawl broke out after a member of Kidsgrove’s management team was given his marching orders.
‘Today’s game between Avro and Kidsgrove was abandoned in the 84th minute,’ the statement read.
‘We as a club are appalled with the behaviour of some of the fans, players and officials of Kidsgrove Athletic.
‘We will support and cooperate with both the NPL and FA in their investigation of the incidents which occurred in the 84th minute of today’s game.’
The statement continued: ‘Avro were leading 6-0 at the time of the event against Kidsgrove 9 men due to two players earlier being shown red cards on the field of play.’
‘The incident followed the dismissal of one of the Kidsgrove management team who wasn’t on the field of play.
‘We will await the reports of the referee and FA. No further comment will be made from ourselves on this matter.’
Kidsgrove were also quick to condemn the violence while confirming that they would be cooperating fully with both the Northern Premier League and the FA in any impending investigations.
‘Following the abandonment of today’s fixture between Avro FC and Kidsgrove Athletic, we are aware of the statement released by Avro FC,’ the statement read.
‘Kidsgrove Athletic will be submitting a full report to the Northern Premier League and the FA regarding the events that took place. We will fully cooperate with any investigation and await the findings before making any further comment.
‘As a club, we do not condone any form of inappropriate behaviour. We remain committed to upholding the values of respect and sportsmanship both on and off the pitch.’
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