A Manchester City supporter has been served a three-year banning order and lost his job as a chef after throwing a pie into the crowd during a recent Champions League encounter.
Aaron Johnson, 30, claimed he had been hit by the pastry during City’s 0-0 draw with Sporting at the Etihad Stadium on March 9. Despite the game on the field being little more than a dead rubber, with the hosts leading 5-0 from the first leg, tempers flared in the stands, with Manchester Evening News reporting 47 people were ejected from the stadium and a further 100 refused entry altogether.
Shortly after the full-time whistle, police spotted an individual, later identified as Johnson throwing a number of items toward the travelling Sporting fans, including a drink and a pie, Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard. It is unknown if anyone was hurt by the items, but he has since lost his job as a chef due to the incident.
Johnson, a lifelong City fan from Stockport, pleaded guilty to throwing a missile at a spectators area. He was handed a £40 fine and banned from going to any football matches in the UK and abroad for three years.
Eileen Rogers, prosecuting, told the court that after allowing supporters back into stadiums following the coronavirus pandemic at the end of 2021, there had been a ‘dramatic increase’ in violent disorder and anti-social behaviour during games. She said the topic had been documented and widely discussed between various Parliament members and in the media.
The game in question was an 8pm kick off, with Ms Rodgers explaining that 51,000 supporters - 13,000 of which were Sporting fans - were in attendance at the Etihad. “Items were thrown by both sides, City and the opposing side, in the lower section of the stadium, and were observed to be abusive towards each other and the police had told them to stop,” she said.
“Several items, including coins, were thrown towards the lower divide, officers had to stand between them and were advised to wear helmets to protect themselves. The North West Ambulance Service treated two City supporters who had been hit by missiles. Tensions were high and the police were vigilant.”
When the game ended at around 9.50pm, officers began removing Sporting fans from the stadium away from City fans in blocks 109 and 110, when Johnson was seen throwing the pie, he was also seen throwing a cup containing liquid.
He was subsequently cautioned by police who explained they had seen him throw the items, to which he replied: “I have thrown a pie and a drink”. He was placed in handcuffs and arrested, whilst continuing telling officers he had ‘only thrown a pie and a drink’.
The prosecution explained that the action of throwing a missile was likely to cause or contribute towards violent disorder and antisocial behaviour and risks antagonising ill-feelings between the two sets of supporters.
Ms Rodgers suggested there was a risk of further incidents or escalations of violence and added: “Also families who attend with young children who wish to enjoy the match, can be placed in danger.”
Johnson told officers in a police interview that ‘he knew what he did was stupid’, with his defence lawyer Nnamdi Inegbu explaining how he first attended a City game at just two weeks old, holding a season ticket from the age of five until 2014.
“This was a one off, it was a moment of madness,” the defence told the court. “He will say the pie he threw was an object that had landed on him. It landed on his face and clothes and he hauled it back.
“He deeply regrets his actions and recognises he let himself down, let his friend down and let Manchester City down. He can’t believe he put himself in this position and is disgusted with his actions.
“He understands why the police have a zero tolerance approach to this behaviour and he wishes, through me, to apologise to Manchester City, the players, the supporters, his friends and family.” Johnson was fined £40, ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
He was also handed a football banning order for three years which means he cannot enter any premises for the purpose of watching a football match and must surrender his passport for any matches outside of the UK. Johnson is also not permitted to be within a mile radius of any stadium on City match days within four hours before or after kick-off.
