Players fear for their safety after Jack Grealish is punched by Birmingham fan

Players have admitted they fear for their safety after Jack Grealish was punched in the face in one of two shocking incidents involving fans on a day of shame for football.

Paul Mitchell, a 27-year-old Birmingham City fan, was in police custody last night after being ­arrested for assaulting Grealish. He had run on to the pitch during the Midlands derby with Aston Villa and punched Grealish from behind.

At the Emirates Stadium, an Arsenal fan was arrested for pushing Manchester United defender Chris Smalling after invading the pitch.

The incidents were condemned by the Football Association and English Football League, and they come after a significant rise in ­serious incidents this season, with Rangers captain James Tavernier confronted by a Hibernian ­supporter on Friday night.

Ashley Young, the United and England defender, says players could be “in danger” and has called for change.

“It is the third time that a fan has managed to get on the pitch,” he said. “What if they are carrying something? The players will be in danger. It is definitely something that the FA, Premier League and Fifa [need to look at]. It has to be done. Maybe extra stewarding. It is a concern with the one earlier today [Grealish] and the one on Chrissy [Smalling]. Something has to be done.”

READ MORE: Spectator attacks Jack Grealish during Midlands derby

Grealish, who went on to score in his side’s 1-0 victory, said there was “no place” in football for the type of incident he had to endure.

“I was walking into position and then just felt a whack around the side of the face,” Grealish said. ­“Obviously, there’s rivalry and stuff in football, but I don’t think there’s any place for that.”

Birmingham now face the threat of a stadium closure or even a points deduction as the FA began an inquiry into an incident that is unprecedented in English football.

The club have apologised to ­Grealish and pledged to ban the supporter for life after he evaded stewards in the ninth minute of the game and ran on to the field to land a punch on the side of the 23-year-old’s head, knocking him to the floor.

Some supporters in the Tilton End applauded Mitchell as he was escorted from the field by stewards before being immediately arrested by West Midlands Police.

Grealish displayed admirable ­restraint not to react in a game that lifted Villa’s hopes of securing a Championship play-off place.

On a tumultuous afternoon for the forward, a steward appeared heavy handed in trying to remove him from the stands as he celebrated his goal with the travelling fans. Police later confirmed they had spoken to the steward, but would not take further action.

Police also confirmed they were investigating complaints around social-media posts relating to ­Grealish’s family.

Villa later stated that “a red line has been crossed” in a strongly worded statement. “Aston Villa Football Club is appalled by the ­disgraceful attack on Jack Grealish during today’s game,” the statement read.

“A red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault on a player, which is unprecedented in English football.

“We trust the perpetrator will feel the full force of the law and the authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding today’s ­deplorable incident.

“Local rivalries are part of the fabric of the game. However, as we are sure our friends at Birmingham City would agree, to have a player’s personal safety placed under such jeopardy is a serious cause for ­concern for the entire football ­community.”

Gary Neville led the outcry after the cowardly assault on Grealish, calling for “a huge punishment” while Gary Lineker labelled it “abhorrent”, but there was another ­deplorable incident to come when Smalling was pushed by an Arsenal supporter as he ran to celebrate with home players after they scored against Manchester United.

“We utterly condemn the behaviour of the individual who ran on to the pitch and approached Chris Smalling,” said Arsenal in a statement. “We would like to apologise to Chris and Manchester United, and are pleased that the individual was apprehended and arrested.

“We will be working closely with the Metropolitan Police in their investigation. The individual will also be banned from Arsenal matches home and away. Our match-day staff receive ongoing training on managing incidents such as this.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association said in a statement that it was concerned about “this type of behaviour coming back into the game”, adding: “Incidents like this demonstrate certain problems have not been eradicated and that players can be particularly vulnerable.”

The incidents come amid a rise in allegations of fan violence and abuse, with Raheem Sterling allegedly the subject of racist taunts from a Chelsea fan this season, while a Tottenham supporter threw a banana at Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

There have also been a number of incidents in Scottish football, with Celtic’s Scott Sinclair almost hit by a bottle thrown by a Hibernian supporter last week.