A football fan attacked Aston Villa player Jack Grealish on Sunday after rushing onto the pitch amid a Championship game against Birmingham City. West Midlands Police confirmed in a brief statement that the spectator had been arrested and taken into custody. In footage of the incident, the fan is seen approaching Grealish from behind, before punching him in the face and knocking him to the ground. Grealish remained on the ground as authorities apprehended the trespasser, and was later helped up by his fellow players. The Aston Villa midfielder was reportedly unhurt in the altercation, going on to score the only goal of the match. Reuters Birmingham City said there were "no excuses" for the fan's behaviour, confirming he would receive a lifetime ban from the club's stadium. "We deplore the behaviour of the individual who committed this act," the club said in a statement. "What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this — there are no excuses." The English Football League (EFL) condemned the incident in a statement posted to its website. "It's a situation no player should ever be faced with," the EFL said. "In all circumstances the playing surface is for players, not supporters and those playing in the game must be able to do so safe in the knowledge they will not be subjected to this type of behaviour." While Aston Villa and Grealish himself have not yet publicly commented on the incident, several other high-profile members of the footballing community have spoken up. Former Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville said Birmingham City would have to take "a huge punishment" for the incident. "A points deduction or empty stadium for 10 games," he suggested.<doc-sep>During the early stages of the Second City Derby against Birmingham City, a man entered the pitch and attacked Jack Grealish after the Aston Villa captain was walking away from the action. Grealish earned some redemption as his goal secured a 1-0 win for the visitors. During the early stages of the Second City Derby against Birmingham City, a man entered the pitch and attacked Jack Grealish after the Aston Villa captain was walking away from the action. Luckily, Grealish walked away with no injuries and remained calm throughout as security caught the attacker and took him off the pitch. The rest of the players also stayed reasonably composed, despite the alarming incident. The Second City Derby between these two sides has always been a tense affair, but this reckless sense of violence is totally unacceptable. Aside from the intruder himself, there's no doubt the club will also have to deal with consequences in the weeks to come. West Midlands Police tweeted: "Following the incident on the pitch involving an attack on an Aston Villa player, a man has been arrested and en route to a custody block. Further details to follow.” An EFL spokesperson commented: "The EFL condemns the mindless actions of the individual who encroached onto the pitch at St Andrews on Sunday afternoon. It's a situation no player should ever be faced with." "In all circumstances the playing surface is for players, not supporters and those playing in the game must be safe in the knowledge they will not be subjected to this type of behavior. Whilst this incident falls within the remit of the Football Association, we will work with all the relevant parties to address the issue of player and match officials safety on the pitch and ensure the appopropriate action is taken." Despite the ugly incident, the 23-year-old attacker remained calm throughout. His performance was rewarded and in the 67th minute, Grealish scored the only goal in the game, making it 1-0 to the visitors. After the game, Grealish spoke out on the incident. "I was just unaware at the time,” he said. “I was walking into position and I just felt a whack around the side of the face. Obviously there’s rivalry in football but I don’t think there’s any place for that really." The clubs also issued statements. "A red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault on a player, which is unprecedented in English football", said Aston Villa. "We trust the perpetrator will feel the full force of the law and the authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding today’s deplorable incident." Birmingham City echoed these sentiments, confirming the intruder will never enter the stadium again. "We deplore the behavior of the individual who committed this act and rest assured he will be banned from St. Andrew’s for life. The Club will also support any further punishment this individual may face in the eyes of the law." "What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this – there are no excuses. Again, we apologize to Jack and all at Aston Villa Football Club."<doc-sep>A pitch invader punched Aston Villa's Jack Grealish during the derby game at Birmingham on Sunday. The incident occurred in the 10th minute of the match at St Andrew's, with Grealish running away with his back to the assailant at the time. West Midlands Police have subsequently confirmed that a 27-year-old man has been arrested on "suspicion of encroachment onto the pitch and assault and remains in police custody for questioning". ARREST: Following the incident on the pitch involving an attack on an Aston Villa player; a man has been arrested and en route to a custody block. Further details to follow. pic.twitter.com/fed9KrHBgl — West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) March 10, 2019 There were four arrests in total for suspected assault and violent disorder offences. Match commander, Superintendent Nick Rowe, said: "An attack on a player is completely unacceptable and outrageous. "The vast majority of people were well behaved but unfortunately the occasion has been marred by this. "We currently have a man in custody for questioning and will be working with Birmingham City Football Club as we fully investigate what happened." Grealish went on to score the winner after 67 minutes before jumping into the away stand to celebrate with the Villa fans. 1:12 Grealish responded in the best way possible by scoring the winner for Villa West Midlands Police confirmed they had spoken to a steward in the aftermath of Grealish's goal but no offence is yet to be reported, after footage appeared to show the Villa captain being shoved in the back. The altercation followed a lively opening to the game, in which Birmingham's Maikel Kieftenbeld was booked for scything down Grealish, while there were also clashes between fans outside the stadium before kick-off. Police had to hold back fans while at least one man was seen being treated by paramedics after suffering a head wound. The police force also added a small number of objects were thrown at officers outside the ground following the game but no-one was injured and enquiries are on-going, while they are also investigating complaints around offensive social media posts aimed at Grealish Aston Villa released a statement after the final whistle condemning the incident. "A red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault on a player, which is unprecedented in English football," the said. "We trust the perpetrator will feel the full force of the law and the authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding today's deplorable incident. "Local rivalries are part of the fabric of the game however, as we are sure our friends at Birmingham City would agree, to have a player's personal safety placed under such jeopardy is a serious cause for concern for the entire football community." 2:13 Gary Neville thinks Birmingham City should be punished for the actions of the fan who attacked Grealish Birmingham also released a statement where they apologised for the attack on Grealish and said they will ban the supporter from St Andrew's for life. "The club will also support any further punishment this individual may face in the eyes of the law," they said. "The club will be working with the relevant authorities to investigate all the circumstances and we will be reviewing our stadium safety procedures. "What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this - there are no excuses." The club are going have to take a huge punishment for this to act as a deterrent in the future . A Points deduction or Empty stadium for 10 games ! https://t.co/wQtcAUuvnx — Gary Neville (@GNev2) March 10, 2019 The EFL condemned the attack on Grealish. "The EFL condemns the mindless actions of the individual who encroached on to the pitch at St Andrew's on Sunday afternoon," said an EFL spokesman. "It's a situation no player should ever be faced with. "In all circumstances the playing surface is for players, not supporters and those playing in the game must be able to do so safe in the knowledge they will not be subjected to this type of behaviour. "Whilst this incident falls within the remit of the Football Association, we will work with all the relevant parties to address the issue of player and match officials safety on the pitch and ensure the appropriate action is taken." 2:45 Grealish says Villa's win against Birmingham was the best day of his life and admits scoring the winner was made even sweeter after being attacked by a fan Meanwhile, Sky Sports News understands the Football Association will wait for the referee's report before speaking to the club. After receiving and reviewing the report the FA could open an investigation into the incident involving Grealish. "We strongly condemn the incident in the match between Birmingham City and Aston Villa, which saw a person enter the pitch and assault a player," the FA later tweeted. "It is a criminal offence to enter the field of play and we will be working with the police, the relevant authorities and the club to ensure the appropriate action is taken." Sky Sports football expert Gary Neville believes Birmingham City may have to be heavily punished for what happened as a deterrent to others. 3:16 Dean Smith says the incident involving Jack Grealish was overstepping the mark and security should have been better to avoid it happening at all. "The club are going have to take a huge punishment for this to act as a deterrent in the future. A Points deduction or Empty stadium for 10 games!" he tweeted. The incident comes just two days after a Hibernian fan gained access to the pitch during Friday night's Scottish Premiership game with Rangers and kicked the ball away from their captain James Tavernier as he went to take a throw-in. A bottle was also thrown towards Celtic's Scott Sinclair at Easter Road as he went to take a corner in their Scottish Cup game with Hibs on March 2.<doc-sep>
Aston Villa player Jack Grealish has been attacked by a fan who ran on to the pitch during a Championship match. He was punched in the side of the head from behind less than 10 minutes into the match against Birmingham. The spectator was restrained by stewards as other Villa players tried to intervene. He blew kisses to the crowd while being led away by police. The man was arrested following the incident and has been banned for life from St Andrew's stadium. ARREST: Following the incident on the pitch involving an attack on an Aston Villa player; a man has been arrested and en route to a custody block. Further details to follow. pic.twitter.com/fed9KrHBgl — West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) March 10, 2019 Speaking to Sky Sports about the attack, Grealish said: "I was just unaware at the time, I was walking into position and then just felt a whack around the side of the face. "Obviously there's rivalry and stuff in football but I don't think there's any place for that really. "I just tried to get on with my job. To score the winner was unbelievable - after what happened in the first half, I think it was set up for it." Grealish, who was in the Birmingham penalty area when the incident happened, appeared unhurt and was comforted by other players. Birmingham has released a statement apologising for the attack. It said: "We deplore the behaviour of the individual who committed this act and rest assured he will be banned from St Andrew's for life. "The Club will be working with the relevant authorities to investigate all the circumstances and we will be reviewing our stadium safety procedures. "What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this - there are no excuses." England player Raheem Sterling reacted on Twitter, saying: "Idiot of the year... congrats on your lifetime ban". After the attack, Grealish delighted fans by scoring the opening goal for Villa in the match's 66th minute. His side then held on for a 1-0 win, lifting them one place ahead of their opponents in the table. You could not write it! 😲 After being punched by a fan in the first half, Jack Grealish opens the scoring for Aston Villa against Birmingham! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/EiBedIL2U1 — Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) 10 March 2019 Sky sources say the Football Association (FA) will wait for the referee's report before speaking to the club, and could open an investigation after reviewing the information. A spokesperson for the English Football League (EFL) said it condemned the "mindless actions" of the attacker. They said: "It's a situation no player should ever be faced with. "In all circumstances the playing surface is for players, not supporters and those playing in the game must be able to do so safe in the knowledge they will not be subjected to this type of behaviour." The EFL said it would be working to address the issue of player safety and ensure "appropriate action" is taken. Football stars and fans reacted with shock, branding the attack a "disgrace". Former England striker Gary Lineker said it was "abhorrent" and praised the Aston Villa captain for "keeping his cool". Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville called for football authorities to penalise Birmingham, tweeting: "The club are going have to take a huge punishment for this to act as a deterrent in the future. The club are going have to take a huge punishment for this to act as a deterrent in the future . A Points deduction or Empty stadium for 10 games ! https://t.co/wQtcAUuvnx — Gary Neville (@GNev2) March 10, 2019 "A Points deduction or Empty stadium for 10 games!" There were also clashes between fans outside the stadium before kick-off, with at least one man seen being treated by paramedics after suffering a head wound. Hours later in north London, a spectator ran onto the pitch during a game between Arsenal and Manchester United, pushing United defender Chris Smalling. Police said they had arrested a man on suspicion of common assault and pitch invasion and Arsenal said the fan would be banned from all of its games. The attacks follow two recent incidents of crowd trouble in Scottish football. During Friday's draw between Rangers and Hibernian, a fan jumped on to the pitch and shoved Rangers captain James Tavernier.