Micah Richards seen for first time since Roy Keane 'headbutt' incident
Micah Richards is seen for the first time since being filmed pinning a man against the wall after Roy Keane ‘headbutt’ incident
- Micah Richards appeared on a podcast and discussed the Roy Keane incident
- The pundit pinned a man against the wall moments after Keane was ‘headbutted’
- Police have said a man had been arrested on suspicion of assault after the game
Micah Richards has appeared on a podcast and discussed the Roy Keane ‘headbutt’ incident as he was seen for the first time since it happened on Sunday.
On Monday, Richards broke his silence after he was filmed pinning a man against the wall during Arsenal’s match against Manchester United on Sunday.
Footage shared on social media on Sunday night showed the Sky Sports pundit grabbing a man by the collar and restraining him after his Sky colleague Keane was allegedly headbutted in a hospitality area at the Emirates Stadium, leaving ‘blood on the floor’.
On Monday, Sky Sports confirmed Richards had attempted to ‘defuse’ the situation – as the Met Police announced it had arrested a 42-year-old on suspicion of assault.
And now the former Manchester City and England defender has addressed the incident on The Rest Is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, with video revealing Richards’ reaction to the incident.
Footage shared on social media showed Roy Keane’s Sky Sports colleague Micah Richards grappling with a man to restrain him, but the man had left before security guards arrived
On Monday, the Met confirmed it had launched a probe into the incident and made an arrest
And Richards has been seen for the first time since as he addressed the incident on The Rest Is Football podcast (pictured) alongside Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer
Host and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker kicked off the podcast by saying: ‘How are you both? I think one of us had an interesting weekend, Micah, were you in the news?’, with both smirking.
He said: ‘Oh my word. Gary, I’m not allowed to talk about it. But when I’m allowed to talk about it, the Rest is Football will get it first.’
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Shearer interrupted him by singing the Rocky theme song, with Lineker joining in, as Richards laughed loudly.
The former Newcastle striker and record Premier League goalscorer continued to laugh off the incident, replying: ‘I think the common opinion is “don’t f*** with big Meeks”.’
To which Richards chuckled and replied: ‘No comment, I plead the Fifth (Amendment)’ as Shearer added: ‘Flex the guns, Micah!’.
Former Manchester United captain Keane, 52, was confronted by a man at the top of the West Stand as he was waiting for a lift to take him down to the pitchside area, Mail Sport understands.
The man allegedly aimed a headbutt at Keane and hit the Irishman on the chest and chin.
On Monday, Sky confirmed the incident and said: ‘We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.
‘In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.’
Richards laughed off the incident with Lineker (right) and added that he couldn’t talk about it
Shearer (pictured) jokingly hummed the Rocky theme tune and said ‘don’t f*** with big Meeks!’
Keane (second right) and Richards (left) carried on with post-match punditry duties afterwards
The Emirates was a cauldron of noise on Sunday after midfielder Declan Rice scored late on
A witness said Richards intervened after a fan attacked his colleague. Describing the aftermath of the incident, the witness added: ‘Afterwards, we noticed a small amount of blood on the floor.’
The incident happened shortly after Man Utd winger Alejandro Garnacho had looked to have won the contest for United in the 88th minute.
How Keane once confronted Arsenal’s captain in the tunnel
United travelled to Arsenal on a cold February evening in 2005, but things had reached boiling point in the tunnel.
Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira warned Gary Neville in the tunnel that he was in for trouble and Keane defended his player to the hilt.
A flurry of swear words continued before Keane shouted at Vieira: ‘See you out there. Shouting your mouth off every week. Pretending you’re a nice guy’.
United would go on to win the match 4-2.
Keane (right) points at Vieira (out of shot)
Keane and Richards, who were working with former Arsenal player Theo Walcott, had raced back to the studio to see what had happened, with Garnacho’s goal eventually being ruled out after a VAR check.
Keane, who had a tempestuous relationship with Arsenal during his playing career, was eventually escorted down to the pitchside area where he continued broadcasting.
The Met said: ‘Police are investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, 3 September.
‘Inquiries are ongoing. Any witnesses or those with information are asked to call 101 ref CAD 6961/3 Sept.’
Sunday’s match reached boiling point before the full-time whistle, with the Emirates a cauldron of noise after an eventful 113 minutes of action.
Striker Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for United as they went ahead against the run of play by scoring on the counter-attack against Arsenal.
Their joy was short-lived as Arsenal replied with an equaliser just 35 seconds later and finally the rivalry between two great rivals was reignited.
£105m summer arrival Declan Rice snatched a winner in the 96th minute to send the home crowd into raptures, before Gabriel Jesus added a third as United searched for a last-gasp equaliser.
Keane and Arsenal have shared a fraught relationship over the years, with the 52-year-old’s feud with former Gunners captain Patrick Vieira the main focus of a tense relationship between the north and the south.
Arsenal versus Manchester United remains one of the Premier League’s most infamous rivalries. Between 1996 and 2004 the famous duo shared the English top-flight title as they dominated the rest of the division.
Keane was usually at the heart of the drama as he led the Red Devils out at Arsenal’s old stomping ground, Highbury, and even pre-match on Sunday described players as going out to ‘battle’.
The defining individual clash between two titans in this fixture is shared by Keane and Vieira and it all dates back to the Frenchman’s arrival on England’s shores 27 years ago after he joined from AC Milan.
Keane (left) shared a tense relationship with former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira (right) during their playing days
Both in their prime, both captaining their teams and neither pulling punches even before they stepped out onto the pitch. They set the tone that their teams would then follow.
To this day they still share the most famous tunnel moment in English football history as Keane backed up a young Gary Neville and blasted Vieira for picking on the United full-back.
United would go on to win the affair 4-2 as referee Graham Poll attempted to keep Keane and Vieira away from one another inside the cramped pre-match space.
There were numerous other incidents with Keane retaining his status as one of football’s ‘hard-men’ to this day after overseeing a no-nonsense approach during his time as Man United captain.
The pair eventually reconciled once both had called time on their playing careers and have since worked together in punditry, but the rivalry between two of England’s biggest clubs remains.
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