A Newcastle supporter has been condemned for trying to snatch a shirt from the clutches of a young fan.
Newcastle fans were in a buoyant mood on Boxing Day after their 3-0 win over Leicester propelled Eddie Howe’s side to second in the Premier League table. Goals from Chris Wood, Miguel Almiron and Joelinton ensured their trip to the East Midlands was a happy one for the Toon Army.
The day out looked to be getting even better for one young boy, who was the recipient of Dan Burn’s shirt. The Magpies defender came over to the away section at the King Power Stadium, pointed to the boy and then threw his match-worn shirt into the stands.
Burn can’t have anticipated what would happen next, though, with a woman trying her best to rip the shirt out of the boy’s hands. A video on Twitter captioned “Newcastle fan trying to steal a shirt from a kid... lovely Christmas spirit” has now been viewed 2.5million times. It shows the ensuing melee in which other Newcastle fans try their best to free it from her grasp.
The seemingly bitter dispute appears to have got the right conclusion at least, with a reply to the video showing a picture of the boy holding up the shirt, accompanied by the caption: “Don’t worry he got it”.
A comment from Facebook, which appears to be from the boy’s mother, added: “The bloke in the red was getting the shirt for my son but the lady was trying to snatch the shirt from my son's arms, but the stewards got involved and got the shirt.”
Social media users were quick to condemn the actions of the woman, labelling her “shameful” and “disgraceful”. One commented: “Not so much a fan but a bully.” Another added: “'Disgrace should be ashamed of yourself”.
But the boy's father, Nathan, has forgiven the woman for her actions. "I don't want anyone to be slated, everyone gets carried away and anyone would try to grab the shirt," the 39-year-old told The Sun. "If the steward hadn't broken it up and got the shirt it may have ripped or he wouldn't have got it."
The incident did not take away from Newcastle’s momentous day in which they picked up a sixth straight Premier League win. Supporters were left singing about the Magpies’ chances of overhauling leaders Arsenal to clinch the title, but manager Eddie Howe is not getting carried away.
“My attitude won't change but I've no problem with the supporters dreaming, talking and speculating about what we can achieve,” he said.
“We need to be mindful internally and focus on what we can control, which is our own thoughts and actions. And not look too far ahead or listen too much to news media and focus on our training and games. This is the toughest league in the world for a reason.”
