Man City fan loses job as chef and gets three-year ban for hurling pie that hit him first

A Manchester City supporter has been served a three-year banning order and lost his job as a chef after throwing a pie into the crowd during a recent Champions League encounter.

Aaron Johnson, 30, claimed he had been hit by the pastry during City’s 0-0 draw with Sporting at the Etihad Stadium on March 9. Despite the game on the field being little more than a dead rubber, with the hosts leading 5-0 from the first leg, tempers flared in the stands, with Manchester Evening News reporting 47 people were ejected from the stadium and a further 100 refused entry altogether.

Shortly after the full-time whistle, police spotted an individual, later identified as Johnson throwing a number of items toward the travelling Sporting fans, including a drink and a pie, Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard. It is unknown if anyone was hurt by the items, but he has since lost his job as a chef due to the incident.

Johnson, a lifelong City fan from Stockport, pleaded guilty to throwing a missile at a spectators area. He was handed a £40 fine and banned from going to any football matches in the UK and abroad for three years.

Eileen Rogers, prosecuting, told the court that after allowing supporters back into stadiums following the coronavirus pandemic at the end of 2021, there had been a ‘dramatic increase’ in violent disorder and anti-social behaviour during games. She said the topic had been documented and widely discussed between various Parliament members and in the media.

The game in question was an 8pm kick off, with Ms Rodgers explaining that 51,000 supporters - 13,000 of which were Sporting fans - were in attendance at the Etihad. “Items were thrown by both sides, City and the opposing side, in the lower section of the stadium,