Masked Idiot On The Field Attacks Goalkeeper

It’s always a little strange seeing how calmly soccer players react to Idiots On The Field. Even with some rando hopping onto the pitch and sprinting straight for them, most guys greet the accosting fan with an unnerving placidity. Let’s hope this crazy kid in Sweden, who attacked a goalkeeper in a first division match and claimed he left a bomb in the stands, didn’t ruin all that.

The above video depicts the final moments of the Jönköpings Södra-Östersunds match when a kid—the person police have arrested is 17—wearing a mask and hoodie jumped down from the stands behind Östersunds keeper Aly Keita and ran at him. You can’t exactly see the moment when the two clash, but Keita does writhe on the ground for a while so it’s safe to say that he was pretty hurt, physically as well as psychically.

The on Keita’s injuries:

Keita later confirmed he had been struck in the temple, saying: “I am shocked and angry. It is awful that something like this could happen.”

He told Aftonbladet: “I just saw that someone was behind me. I ran and then stopped because I thought he was gone. Then I was in shock and didn’t understand what had happened. I didn’t hear him say anything. It is sad that someone can do something like that and ruin an evening. It is a sad day for football. But football is bigger than these idiots.

“I was a bit dizzy but now I am fine. I am going with the rest of the team to the hotel and go to bed. The police asked if I wanted to go to hospital but I don’t like hospitals.”

Though the attack occurred in the match’s 90th minute, the referee decided to cancel the rest of the game in lieu of the pitch invasion. Police arrested the kid and say that the unidentified idiot claimed to have had a bomb in a bag he took to the stadium, though the claim was false.

It is a dark time indeed when soccer players actually have to start worrying for their safety from pitch invaders.

[ Guardian]