Hampshire Police investigate after Cardiff's Bielik appeared to grab young Portsmouth fan by throat

Hampshire Police have opened an investigation into an incident in which Cardiff City midfielder Krystian Bielik appeared to grab a young Portsmouth supporter by the throat during the EFL Championship match at Fratton Park on Saturday, which Portsmouth won 2-0. The Football Association is also investigating after the incident was included in the referee’s match report.

The confrontation occurred in the 70th minute when Bielik approached the touchline to retrieve the ball for a throw-in and became involved in a heated exchange with a fan in the crowd. Replays appeared to show the 28-year-old, a former Arsenal academy product, reaching towards the youngster’s throat. The fan then slapped Bielik before being escorted from the stadium by stewards along with his family. The referee briefly halted play to defuse the situation.

Portsmouth said in a statement that the club was treating the matter as a safeguarding issue and urged supporters to avoid speculation while enquiries were ongoing. “The welfare and safeguarding of young people are of paramount importance to Portsmouth Football Club,” the club said, adding that it would continue to liaise with relevant parties as investigations progressed.

Cardiff City said they were satisfied with how match officials handled the situation, noting that the referee had been in full view of the incident. “Player protection will always be of paramount importance to us,” a club spokesperson said, adding that it would be inappropriate to comment further while due process was under way.

Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy said his immediate concern was for Bielik’s welfare. “I wanted to make sure he was protected and make sure he was okay, which he is,” Barry-Murphy told reporters after the match. “I thought the referee and his staff handled the incident impeccably. He said he’d seen everything which occurred really clearly, so he diffused the situation and implemented the correct processes from there.”