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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United celebrates at the end of the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on December 9, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The Manchester derby at Etihad on Sunday turned ugly when a fan came on the pitch in an attempt to attack United center-back Rio Ferdinand. But his attempt was however failed by the slippery nature of the pitch, whereby he was eventually tackled by City keeper Joe hart and was then ‘carried’ off the pitch by the security present on site. Rio Ferdinand was also hit by a coin from a section of City supporters during his celebrations after Robin van Persie‘s injury time winner.
Winger Ashley Young was furious at the incident and has called for strict action from the FA, he told MUTV, “If the pitch hadn’t been so wet when the fan came on and slipped over, he could have attacked Rio.
“When Wazza (Wayne Rooney) was trying to take his corner, there were so many objects being thrown on to the pitch, and the one that hit Rio could have taken his eye out. It is not nice to see that. Hopefully, that will be dealt with.”
Ferdinand was however not seriously hurt and Manchester City have issued a formal apology to Rio regarding their regret at the incident.
Such incidents are not new now, with the rivalry between the two Manchester clubs on the rise ever since Sheikh Mansoor took over the club and infused millions into the club to bring in top players with an aim to make City the best club in Europe. A similar incident took place in January 2010 at Old Trafford, when a United fan hit Craig Bellamy (a city player then) with a coin during their Carling Cup semi-final clash. The case against him was however thrown out of court when the prosecution’s key witness went missing.
