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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ricky Charlesworth

Oli McBurnie altercation: Man arrested following incident with Nottingham Forest fan

A man has been arrested and interviewed as part of police investigations into events following Sheffield United's play-off game with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed that a 25-year-old man presented himself to police on the afternoon of Thursday, May 19 and was arrested on suspicion of assault. He has since been released on police bail.

Chiefs have been investigating a social media clip that emerged following the fall-out from the Championship play-off tie at the City Ground. It appears to show Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie stamp on a fan during the frantic scenes at full-time.

Detective Inspector Nicholas Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are working hard to understand the sequence of events depicted in this video and have now interviewed a suspect. As our investigation continues we would like to speak any other witnesses who have not yet come forward."

Oli McBurnie could be seen making his way through the crowd after full-time (Reiss Beatty via Sky Sports News)

Anyone with additional information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 754 of 18 May 2022. When contacted by Mirror Football , Sheffield United did not wish to comment.

Another incident that took place following Tuesday's game has resulted in a man being jailed. Robert Biggs, of Ilkeston, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £500 compensation after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm on Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp.

The 30-year-old turned himself into police in the early hours of Wednesday morning after video footage was widely shared online of him headbutting striker Sharp, who required four stitches. The electrical engineer, who the court was told earns £55,000 a year, was also given a 10-year football banning order.

"His head has collided with the right side of the player's cheek," his solicitor Miss Rachel Gowans said during a hearing that lasted a little more than half an hour, adding that it was not "targeted on the player."

After Biggs was charged, assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I am pleased we have now charged a suspect in connection with this assault. This is a result of hard work done throughout the night and today involving numerous police departments. Cases such as this will hopefully serve as a deterrent to anyone thinking of getting involved in violent disorder at football matches. Incidents are treated extremely seriously by the force and football clubs and people involved will be held to account.”

In a statement posted on his Twitter feed on Wednesday morning, Sharp said: "One mindless idiot ruined what was an unbelievable night of football. Congratulations to Nottingham Forest on their victory and good luck in the final. As an ex Forest player I will not let one scumbag ruin my respect for the Forest fans. Incredibly proud to be captain of this group of Sheffield United players, they gave their all and can hold their heads up high. We will be back and go again. Thanks for all your messages and support after the incident."

Nottingham Forest won the tie 3-2 on penalties after a pulsating encounter finished 3-3 on aggregate. They will now play Huddersfield Town at Wembley on May 29 for a place in next season's Premier League.

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