Ex-Fifa official ‘worried’ by Everton controversy as police make Patrick Vieira decision
Keith Hackett has backed Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira after “worrying” scenes at Everton on Thursday night.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League official said the 45-year-old was “defending himself” in what was a “panic” at Goodison Park.
A pitch invasion followed Everton’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on Thursday.
As shown on Sky Sports News (19 May), Vieira appeared to kick at a fan who was taunting him during the invasion.
Merseyside Police opened an inquiry into the matter with the aid of Everton.
However, as reported by the BBC (23 May), the police will take no action against the Eagles manager after the opportunity to make a complaint “was declined.”
There were several similar incidents across England last week.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs for his assessment of the latest, Hackett said: “What I saw was Patrick Vieira defending himself.
“If you are in the middle of a crowd that is running onto the pitch there is a panic. I think that was the case here. Vieira is a big guy and a massive target.
“I don’t think it was an attack by him. He was defending himself. He wanted to make certain that he wasn’t going to be injured.
“I am not going to have a go at him. The whole thing is worrying though. This shouldn’t be happening.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has issued a verdict on Everton being hit with retrospective sanctions and claims ‘it looks bad’.