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Fan pleads guilty to assaulting Aaron Ramsdale after north London derby.
An Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was allegedly attacked by a football fan at the end of the north London derby last month at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joseph Watts, 35, from Dalston, Hackney, appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to assault by beating.
Ramsdale got a kick in the back during his team’s 2-0 victory over Spurs in the middle of January. Ramsdale had made a series of crucial saves to preserve his team’s comfortable advantage.
The England player was reportedly getting his belongings before the attack while toasting Arsenal’s triumph. Watts, a supporter of Tottenham, went onto the field, climbed a banner, kicked Ramsdale, and then turned around and ran back into the seats.
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He allegedly acknowledged hurling four coins onto the field of play during the game. He was also accused of hurling a missile onto a football field and entering an area near the pitch.
In a victim statement read to the court, Ramsdale revealed he saw a masseuse as his back felt “heavy” following the incident, but added there no marks.
The statement continues: “I’ve never had someone enter the pitch and kick me, I don’t think it’s acceptable that I should be assaulted at work.”
Watts acknowledged being intoxicated at the time.
The court also heard he was considered to be of good previous character.
Tottenham said the fan would face “an immediate ban” shortly after the attack while the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Association also condemned it.