New Delhi: Cardiff City winger Ollie Tanner cut his leg when an advertising board fell on him amid a goal celebration in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Swansea City in the EFL Championship. The 22-year-old winger had to have a cut on his leg treated after he set up the equaliser in a 1-1 draw but was later injured during celebrations when Cardiff fans from behind the goal ran towards the players, and the advertising hoarding gave way.
The incident led the Cardiff City assistant coach, Omer Riaz, to question the security at Sunday’s game. Riaz said, “You’re looking around and saying, ‘Potentially, should there be more security around the pitch?’ So fans can’t come towards the advertisement signs. That’s a heavy sign that fell there, and Ollie’s got a big cut on his leg.”
On the collapsing advertising hoarding, Riaz added,“[Ollie is] OK, he continued and carried on, but he had to go off the pitch for 30 seconds, and that could have hurt us in that period. All things we can look at to improve.”
The incident took place just 24 hours after West Ham players had pulled off a ball boy from underneath a collapsed advertising screen during a goal celebration in the Premier League game at Crystal Palace after fans spilled onto the pitch at Selhurst Park. The visiting players Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek quickly rescued a ball boy who had become trapped under a collapsed advertising board.
West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen checks that a ball boy is ok after he was stuck under the advertising board that collapsed as West Ham celebrated their first goal during the Premier League match. (Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Even Swansea manager Luke Williams believes that the safety around the perimeter of pitches needs to be improved after the weekend’s events. He said that It’s something that has to be looked at by security officers of all clubs because there was an incident at the West Ham game as well. So a solid reaction to this now by the authorities and officers will decide what’s best.
In light of these recent incidents, it is evident that ensuring the safety of players and fans must be a priority for football clubs and stadium operators. The collapses of advertising hoardings in Cardiff and Crystal Palace highlight a critical need for a thorough review of pitchside safety protocols. Both Cardiff City and Swansea City’s calls for improved security and the swift response to similar issues at West Ham underscore the urgency of addressing these concerns. As the football community awaits a comprehensive response from authorities, the hope is for a proactive approach that will prevent such incidents in the future and safeguard the well-being of everyone involved in the sport.
Cardiff’s player got injured by a falling advertising board amid celebrations echoing a similar scare at Crystal Palace. Are football pitchside safety measures enough? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
