The LONDON DAILY MAIL has dramatic photos of a soccer player in Ireland getting hit by a rocket thrown onto the field during a game this week.
Immediately following the final whistle of a Belfast-area tournament final match between Linfield and Cliftonville, Linfield player Conor Hagan “fell to the ground after being struck in the back by the rocket before it exploded. His team Linfield had just suffered a 2-1 defeat by sectarian rivals Cliftonville.”
Of course, the team’s fans then commenced rioting.
The attack, which sparked riots afterwards, came as players for Cliftonville, a largely Catholic-supported side, had missiles thrown at them by fans of the losing side, which is typically followed by protestants in the divided city.
Hagan, 26, was tended by team medics and members of both sides before being able to regain his feet.
‘I was lying on the ground disgusted with the result and didn’t see the firework coming,’ he told the Belfast Telegraph.
‘It hit me on the back when it went off and it was more the bang that scared me and I was in shock for few seconds.
It’s pretty crazy what can happen when your religion is one of the reasons you root for a team.
I wouldn’t put it past a dumbass fan to do the same here stateside, but with the current, healthy disdain for Rocket, I highly doubt it.
Hopefully this sort of thing never happens again, but it appears we may be seeing a pattern:
11:45 am on November 5th, 2008
Ow! Oh my … oooh, ahhhh.
11:49 am on November 5th, 2008
I didn't know the Rockets played in Ireland.
11:51 am on November 5th, 2008
Honestly, and sadly, I'm not super surprised something like this happened. To a lot of soccer fans, these games are a matter of life & death, although it should never be. Glad the guy's OK.
11:53 am on November 5th, 2008
Vince:
Of course they do. Why do you think they have Tracy McGrady?
12:01 pm on November 5th, 2008
And I thought Raiders fans were rough.
12:34 pm on November 5th, 2008
I'm sure there wasn't any alcohol involved.
1:03 pm on November 5th, 2008
Wow, a bonafide injury on the pitch. I hope he recovers quickly.
4:13 pm on November 5th, 2008
What an explosive match.
4:28 pm on November 5th, 2008
That's sick. And very dangerous.
6:53 pm on November 5th, 2008
I though it was bad when Philly fans threw batteries on the field.
7:06 pm on November 5th, 2008
The coach said he wanted his players to get fired up, not fired upon.
7:36 pm on November 5th, 2008
Sports hate can be pretty mean. Religious hate can be downright vicious. But when you combine the two…well, stuff like this happens.
9:20 pm on November 5th, 2008
I'm just glad the guy wasn't killed.
12:15 pm on November 6th, 2008
I live in Belfast and am a fan of Linfield (blue). The guy was fine and there wasn't a mark on him. It was all just shock.
6:47 pm on November 7th, 2008
Oh those silly European soccer fans haha