Brentford have referred an incident at Saturday's home game with Liverpool to the police after a rugby ball was kicked from a height towards the pitch at the Gtech Community Stadium. The club called the behaviour dangerous and potentially very harmful.
What the footage shows
Video circulating on social media shows a man standing on a rooftop near the ground, kicking a rugby ball in the direction of the pitch while other people around him laugh and cheer. A second clip, filmed from inside the stadium, shows a member of staff removing the ball from the playing area while the match carried on around them.
Nobody was hurt. That is more or less the only reassuring detail available, and it is largely down to where the ball happened to land.
The club's response
Brentford confirmed in a statement that the matter has been referred to the police and that the club is supporting the relevant authorities in their investigation, with the aim of identifying those responsible and taking action that may result in criminal prosecution. The statement added that the matchday safety of fans, staff, players and officials is of utmost importance.
Clubs do not often issue statements of this length over an object thrown into a ground, and the wording suggests Brentford want the point understood beyond their own supporters. An object launched from a rooftop arrives with force, and a stand full of people is a large target.
A bad afternoon on the pitch too
The football itself gave Brentford little to hold on to. They lost 2-1 and finished the game with nine men, Yehor Yarmolyuk and Vitaly Janelt both sent off in the second half. The defeat still leaves them sixth in the Premier League table, which is a healthy position to be grumbling from, though it was not the afternoon anyone at the Gtech had planned.
Incident facts: Brentford 1-2 Liverpool, Premier League, Gtech Community Stadium, Saturday 17 October 2026. A rugby ball was kicked from a rooftop near the ground towards the pitch and was removed from the playing area by a member of staff. Brentford have reported the matter to the police. Yehor Yarmolyuk and Vitaly Janelt were both sent off in the second half, and Brentford sit sixth.
0 Comments