‘Huge problem’: Eric Dier reveals family no longer attend away games over abuse

Eric Dier has revealed that his closest family members no longer attend away matches because of the abuse they hear inside stadiums, which he feels is getting worse and represents a “huge, huge problem” for football.

The Tottenham centre-half, who is back in the England squad for the first time since March 2021 having located the best form of his career, famously went into the stands to confront a hostile fan after his club’s home defeat against Norwich in the FA Cup in March 2020.

Dier, who was banned for four games and fined £40,000, had feared for the safety of his younger brother, Patrick, who had become embroiled in an argument with the supporter. Dier did not reach the fan, who turned and fled when he saw him coming. Dier said on Tuesday that he had no regrets and would do it again to protect a loved one.

Dier is a reluctant spokesman for a subject that has privately bothered him for some time. Even at St George’s Park – before the Nations League tie in Italy on Friday and the Wembley fixture on Monday in the same competition against Germany – he attempted to shrug it off as not being overly dramatic. But he was able to get a few things off his chest.

“It has definitely got worse [since the incident in March 2020],” Dier said. “For me, it is a serious problem. I had some family and friends at the Chelsea away game with Tottenham [at the start of this season] and they had problems. Not nice ones, either. It is a huge, huge problem. It was verbal, not physical but, like, bad stuff. One incident was in the Tottenham away end. I want to emphasise that it was both sets of fans. I am not saying it is Chelsea fans or Tottenham fans – it is football fans in general.

“I never complain about this stuff and I don’t really