Sheffield United have had to issue a warning to their supporters after one victim speaks out on an incident at a recent match.
A woman has spoken to The Star, talking on the moment she was hit in the face by a smoke grenade at away game which saw the Blades win 1-0 at Reading last Tuesday.
She also states that a disabled fan had been left badly shaken after the device landed in the away end before the supporter was taken away to be looked after by stewards.
Thanks to the total tool of a so called blade fan that chucked a flare at us when we scored. Right into the disabled and elderly seats…….. #twitterblades
— Sarah Jane (@Georgiecrumble) November 23, 2021
The woman who was struck said the missile had hit the side of her face before bouncing off her shoulder and falling under the row of seats in front of her, close to another lady and her disabled daughter and on the same row with several fans in wheelchairs.
The woman, speaking anonymously to The Star, said she went through the smoke to get to the girl and put her scarf over the young fan’s face to protect her before the girl was taken by stewards to the first aid room to be checked.
“After I got everyone out of the way, I went to the first aid room where the people were taken to check on them and she was fine, just very shaken and in shock, but they both came back to watch the game and sat near me,” she added.
“I feel disappointed that our own fans don’t care about who they could hurt when they are being so stupid as to chuck these things.
“This isn’t the first time something has happened at an away match. At Nottingham Forest, our fans jumped all over my step dad and nearly knocked him out of his chair to the point I had to push them all off him, and at Blackburn, they chucked a firework onto the pitch.”
Meanwhile another unnamed fan spoke on how the missile was thrown immediately after Sheffield United scored a second-half winner.
“No police attended and the stewards only removed the flare but nothing else was done,” he said.
“A few fans were complaining about the lack of action and they only said they were looking at the cameras but it seemed to me that nothing was done as no one around me or myself noticed anyone being removed….
“The reaction when we score a goal is getting beyond a joke.”
Sheffield United have since issued a warning to fans following the incident at Reading.
A spokesman for the Championship outfit said: “As a club, Sheffield United do not condone the use of pyrotechnics and have taken a number of measures to prevent them being brought into Bramall Lane.
“Inside the ground, every seat is monitored by CCTV, designed to eradicate criminal disorder and anti-social behaviour – taking pyrotechnics into football grounds is a criminal offence.
“Anyone caught in possession or setting off pyrotechnics risks a stadium ban and further investigation by the relevant authorities.”
Thames Valley Police say they couldn’t find any record of the incident while fans described the item as a flare, yet Reading FC said it turned out to be a smoke grenade which had been thrown.
The club said that to their knowledge no one had been hurt and no medical assistance had been required.
They go on to add that one lady was seen to be disturbed but stewards had reassured her and the smoke grenade was taken away by qualified wardens once it had burned out.
Twitter users reacted Sheffield United issue a warning after one victim speaks out on the incident at a match against Reading…
@MarkHagin1: Brave enough to set them off…but not to stand there holding them
@BridgetteG68: Some of our fans are getting worse with their don’t give a f*%k attitude, it’s part of why I’m limiting my away days. I don’t enjoy it any more
@emke: Awful to see
@boothysufc: Absolutely hideous and the clubs need to get them banned
@thatdbemethatd: Flare wankers. As per.
@dhiggy64: Fuckwits
@UTB110682: No pyro no party!!
@supershilly: @ReadingFC and @SheffieldUnited, Can you get together & find the culprit (SUFC) fan who threw a flare that landed next to the disabled & hit a young girl in front. @SheffieldUnited – can you then please ban that person, we don’t want incidents & people like that in our club
@ForeverAYellow: Such a shame, simply no need for this, someone really could have been hurt
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