PSV bans soccer hooligan for 40 years for attacking player

EINDHOVEN (AP): A soccer hooligan serving two months in prison for running onto the field at PSV Eindhoven’s stadium and attacking a player during a Europa League match has also been handed a 40-year ban by the Dutch club.

The 20-year-old man will not be allowed inside the Philips Stadium during the length of the ban, PSV said in a statement late Monday.

Prosecutors previously said the man had two previous convictions for soccer-related offenses and was under the influence of alcohol when he ran onto the field late in the match between PSV and Sevilla on Feb. 23 and punched Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.

Dmitrovic was not injured and wrestled the hooligan to the ground before stewards marched him off the field.

The Dutch soccer federation had imposed a stadium ban on the hooligan but he managed to get in using a ticket bought by a friend.

The man has since been given him what PSV called a two-year “area ban” around the stadium.

He was fired from his job after the incident and kicked out of his team’s supporters’ club.

PSV general manager Marcel Brands said the incident has prompted the club to discuss how better to enforce stadium bans.