Nottingham Forest supporters have raised thousands of pounds for charity as a gesture of support for Billy Sharp after the Sheffield United forward was attacked by a Forest fan at the end of their play-off semi-final.
Sharp was left bleeding and required stitching when a fan charged at him during a pitch invasion. The 36-year-old said that “one mindless idiot [had] ruined what was an unbelievable night of football” as Forest reached Wembley with a 3-2 victory in a penalty shootout with the scores level at 3-3 on aggregate.
Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed that a man has been arrested on suspicion of assault.
In response, Forest fans launched a fundraiser which at the time of writing had received more than £4,700 in donations. Funds were initially expected to go towards the LJS Foundation, the charity founded by Sharp and his partner when they lost their three-day old son Luey to Gastroschisis in 2011, but proceeds will now be given to Martin House, a children’s hospice which has been selected by Sharp.
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“Bill was minding his own business off the pitch, trying to get our players away,” the Blades boss added. “He was blindsided, it was cowardly.”
During Heckingbottom’s post-match interview with Sky Sports, he added: “How can you come to your place of work and mind your own business and be assaulted in that fashion? It’s bang out of order and everything that’s wrong.
“You hear too many times that people condemn it, but nothing is done and we are the ones who suffer. It is upsetting for many reasons but it will be dealt with.”
In a statement, Forest said they were “appalled” and intend to issue a lifetime ban to the supporter in question. “The club would also like to apologise to Billy personally and to Sheffield United Football Club,” they said.
The FA also confirmed they were aware of the “very serious incident” and would be investigating.
Ahead of kick-off, chairman Nicholas Randall had pleaded with supporters not to enter the field of play regardless of the result but that fell on deaf ears.
Sharp insisted he would “not let one scumbag ruin my respect for the Forest fans”, telling his Sheffield United team-mates to “hold their heads up high”.
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