What led to alleged Roy Keane 'headbutt' incident as police arrest man, 42, on suspicion of assault
Police are continuing to investigate an alleged headbutt on Roy Keane during the Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United on Sunday.
According to the Daily Mail, the alleged incident took place towards the latter stages of the match at the Emirates Stadium, shortly after Alejandro Garnacho had put United 2-1 ahead. His goal was later ruled out for offside, and Arsenal won 3-1.
The Athletic reported that, as per a witness, Keane was 'startled' but did not act aggressively and remained ultra professional.
Footage posted on social media on Sunday night showed his broadcast colleague Micah Richards in an altercation with the fan. Sky Sports confirmed that Richards had intervened to 'defuse a situation' after the alleged incident.
Arsenal released their own statement on the matter: "We are aware of an incident that took place during our Manchester United on Sunday.
"The Metropolitan Police is conducting an investigation into the matter and we are fully cooperating with their enquiries."
On Monday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 42-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of assault (ABH) after an incident at the Emirates Stadium.
In addition, the Daily Mail report also carried details of what led up to the alleged incident.
It is claimed that Keane and Richards were walking from the Sky Sports studio towards the pitch in order to conduct their post-match analysis.
The report adds that the pair had rushed into the studio to see the outcome of the VAR check on Garnacho's potential offside.
It is then alleged that, while Keane was waiting for a lift to take him down to the pitchside area, a man aimed a headbutt at the former United captain and hit him on the chest and chin.
In their own statement on the alleged incident, Sky Sports said: "We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.
"In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation."
Sky News confirmed that both Richards and Keane have given statements to the police.
Neither pundit has publicly commented on the incident at this stage, although Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker took to Twitter (X) to confirm that Richards is 'all in one piece' after recording an episode of their podcast, 'The Rest is Football', on Monday.
Henry
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