Police hunt fan over goalkeeper attack

Police in the UK were searching today for a football fan who ran on to the pitch and appeared to assault a player during a Champions League match.

The supporter rushed from the stand following a last-minute goal by Celtic against Italian side AC Milan in Glasgow last night.

He ran across the path of Milan goalkeeper Nelson Dida and appeared to strike him.

The Brazilian player briefly made to chase after the fan but then collapsed to the ground. He was taken off in a stretcher with an icepack held to his face.

The supporter carried on running off the pitch after the confrontation.

The fan, whose antics were watched by millions of television viewers around Europe, is believed to have disappeared back into the crowd and was not caught by police or stewards.

A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: “An incident occurred during the match.

“Police are investigating but nobody has been detained at present.”

European football chiefs at Uefa said they had launched an investigation.

Celtic could face severe penalties from the football authorities as a result of the incident.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard told BBC Scotland the body would wait for reports from the referee and match delegate before acting.

Celtic also said they would carry out a full investigation into the incident. The Scottish champions beat AC Milan 2-1.

Goalkeeper Dida was hit by a flare during a Champions League quarter-final in Italy in 2005.