Friday, March 29News For London

Fan actions criticised after Tottenham supporter throws banana skin at Aubameyang


The incident is just one of many cases of fans creating nuisance during matches

A Tottenham Hotspur fan was arrested for throwing a banana skin at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during Arsenal’s 4-2 win against Spurs in the north London derby at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The incident occurred when Aubameyang walked towards the away stands to celebrate scoring a 10th-minute penalty awarded after a handball by Jan Vertonghen.

Images have been circulating online which show the banana skin lying on the ground as
Aubameyang celebrates with his teammates and Arsenal fans haven’t taken it lightly.


Anti-discrimination football organisation Kick It Out addressed the racial undertone of the incident and called for a life ban on the supporter. It stated: “We condemn this action and welcome the investigation

“Our latest reporting figures show incidents of racism are on the rise and the banana throwing at the north London derby should be seen in that context.”

Arsenal legend Ian Wright told Match of the Day 2: “I’ve played against Spurs and I’ve taken a lot of abuse but never ever has it been racial

“Now Spurs have to deal with this because some idiot has done that. It’s not only embarrassed Spurs but it has embarrassed the Premier League because it has gone around the world.”

This comes after several reports of fans creating nuisance during football matches emerged over the year.

A supporter went to a parking lot outside the stadium and lit a flare at half-time during a match between Yeovil Town and Stockport county. He was arrested after being identified with the help of CCTV footage.

Another incident saw Manchester City fans throwing pyrotechnics onto the pitch during the derby match against Manchester united on 11 November. United have filed a complaint and police are investigating the incident.

In April, Olympiakos vs PAOK derby in Greece had to be postponed as PAOK’s manager had to be sent to hospital after being hit in the face by a cash register paper roll before the match. The derby has also been called off before due to extravagant fan flares.

We talked to two ardent football supporters, Sahib Singh and Rohan Bachhav, about such actions by fans.

Sahib expressed strong disapproval of such kind of passion. He said: “Personally, I believe emotions shouldn’t get the best out of you and a moment of impulse or bad judgement shouldn’t ruin someone else’s experience of the game

“If it’s the job of players to play their hearts out and entertain you, it’s your job as supporters to maintain decorum and respect the rules.”

Rohan has a slightly different perspective. “These are reactions to passion. Sometimes people take it too far, but at the end of the day, it’s their love for the sport which makes them do that.

“That said, any action connected to racism has absolutely no excuse,” he firmly said.