Coin throwing idiot ruins great derby day

Last updated : 06 April 2009 By Michael Morris
To see the referee hit in itself was bad enough but for the hundreds of thousands if not millions watching on live TV it did untold damage to the football club.

A cracking atmosphere between the two sets of supporters was matched by a game that saw four goals inc two in the last few minutes, one of those a penalty, and a red card awarded after the final whistle to a Swansea sub for foul and abusive language.

Cardiff came away with the bigger smiles after snatching the draw but ultimately it was a game that on chances created they should have won.

South Wales football is in a healthy state with these two teams still harbouring potential promotion (althrough the draw virtually ended Cardiff's hopes of automatic promotion and Swansea's hopes of the play offs) but it's sad that since the final whistle all the sports bulletins have been about that coin throwing incident.

Cardiff have come a long way in their bid to make Ninian Park a safer place but you can never legislate for someone who feels the need to take a coin from his pocket and throw it at anyone. As you can see from the pic Mike Dean, who was excellent as a referee on the day, was lucky not to lose his sight.

As a Cardiff fan I'd like to apologise to Mike Dean. We do not condone this behaviour at all.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale has vowed to ban the offender for life.

"It is wholly unacceptable" he said." We won't tolerate that at Cardiff City. I am disappointed that it has taken away from what has been an outstanding football match.

"People like that don't deserve to watch football matches and that individual, who has been arrested, will be banned for life from watching Cardiff City, assuming he is found guilty.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't want them anywhere near this football club again. And I will make sure they are not. They won't see Cardiff City play at the home of Cardiff City ever again.

"I feel sorry for the referee. I have already apologised to him on behalf of the club. We took a lot of precautions for today's game. It was always going to be a high-profile game.

"We had the biggest police presence we've had for many a year here at Ninian Park."