Former referee drops verdict on Nottingham Forest v Leicester spectator incident

Former referee Keith Hackett believes the fan who ran on to the pitch to confront Nottingham Forest players in yesterday’s tie against Leicester City deserves the lifetime ban he has been given by the Foxes, speaking to Football Insider.

The incident occurred when Joe Worrall scored the Reds’ third goal in front of the travelling supporters in the 32nd minute – sending the home crowd into raptures at the City Ground as they looked set to knock the current holders out of the FA Cup.

But Forest’s players were soon brought back down to earth when a player wheeled away to celebrate, with a member of the travelling contingent invading the pitch and confronting the likes of Worrall, Brennan Johnson and Keinan Davis.

They were able to push the invader away before he was escorted out of the stadium and arrested, but not before he appeared to throw several punches.

This incident didn’t seem to negatively impact the second-tier side who went on to score once more and secured a resounding 4-1 victory – a result they were full value for as they continued to maximise their performance levels throughout the match.

It was a concerning moment for English football though – and one ex-official Hackett and many others were appalled by as he spoke in an interview with Football Insider on the subject.

He said: “There are no doubts that football after the event has the appropriate punishment, that person will not be able to see another football game, that is appropriate.

“One has to ask, why did he get so far on the pitch? What were the stewards doing? It shows the dangers and justifies why the laws try and make sure the players celebrate on the pitch.

“My advice is to players is don’t confront. You don’t know who that spectator is, he may be