Jordan Thompson might face repercussions for kicking a water bottle in the face of a Norwich City fan.
Preston North End’s midfielder was substituted in the 65th minute of their 2-0 Championship defeat on Saturday.
Sky Sports footage shows Thompson coming off the pitch at Carrow Road and shaking hands with club workers.
Before sitting on the bench, the Northern Ireland international spots a bottle on the ground and kicks it, clearly frustrated.
It flies into the stand and strikes the head of an unsuspecting Norwich supporter who was drinking at the time.
Some clearly enraged supporters turned towards Thompson, with one man in particular appearing to spit expletives in his direction.
Thompson is then seen standing closer to the fans, appearing to apologize to the afflicted fan, who appears to be in tears.
There was no action taken at the time, but the Football Association could charge the 29-year-old for his acts.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher questioned the bottle kick on Ref Watch for Sky Sports, stating, “Why would you do this?””I’m not sure if he’ll be reprimanded today, but look at that… the referee hasn’t seen it because the substitution was made, and the assistant has his back to it.”So he’s lucky not to be seen since it would undoubtedly result in a red card on the day. However, doing so is extremely risky since it can result in a person being hit.Someone else was drinking as well, and I was unaware. It’s a moment of lunacy.”
Booting the bottle.
Thompson isn’t the first man on the sidelines to lash out with a water bottle during a game.
The FA fined Unai Emery £8,000 in 2018 for kicking a bottle at a Brighton fan while he was the manager of Arsenal.
Emery, who was charged with inappropriate behavior, apologized and shook their hands at full-time.
Pep Guardiola was involved in a similar situation while in the Manchester City dugout against Leeds United in 2022.
He mistakenly booted it towards the Leeds bench, appearing to strike one of their employees.
Guardiola, ashamed, immediately ran over to apologize.
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