The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chairman John Mousinho has called for fans who assault players to face life bans. He also added that English football was facing “an aspect of violence” which it needs to “get on top of very quickly”. His comments follow several incidents over recent weeks, including the arrest of a 19-year-old Leicester City supporter for an alleged attack on Nottingham Forest’s celebrating players. In the Premier League, players have been hit by missiles at both Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge since January. Rotherham also banned two fans for life after Accrington Stanley midfielder Harry Pell was struck while taking a penalty on February 5 in a League One game. Mousinho, who plays in that division for Oxford United, told PA that punishments needed to be an adequate deterrent. “I can’t see a reason for a fan to be allowed back into a football stadium if they come on to the pitch and assault a player,” he said. “It’s a conscious choice. The term has to be large enough for people to decide they are not going to do it.”He added that security measures need to be reviewed.“There are only so many police and stewards who can be at grounds. Fans have to take some responsibility.” But he also believes security needs to be reviewed.“You have security guards who don’t pat you down properly. I’ve been to Premier League grounds where the metal detector has gone off and nobody really cares. “That’s a real concern and it’s never really been flagged before because most of the time, if you get a pitch invader, there’s a jovial atmosphere around how many stewards they can evade.“Now there’s an aspect of violence which is really worrying. It’s really shocking and concerning. Hopefully it’s an isolated few weeks in an isolated season but it’s something we need to get on top of very quickly.” (Photo: Kevin Barnes – CameraSport via Getty Images)
