A massive on-pitch brawl broke out between Sheffield United and Coventry City players, instigated by Anel Ahmedhodzic.
The Blades defender was given a straight red card after retaliating against Norman Bassette in the dying moments of the first half of their Championship clash. The initial foul came from the Sky Blues striker – who had already netted for the home team – before Bassette yelled at Ahmedhodzic and seemed to grab him by the back of the neck.
This led to an enraged response from Ahmedhidzic who struck Bassette in the throat, causing players from both teams to rush to the scene. Referee Darren Bond managed to calm the situation, issuing a red card to the Sheffield United player and a yellow to the Coventry star.
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The incident happened just before the half-time whistle, with the Blades leading Coventry 2-1. Tyrese Campbell scored first for Sheffield United, followed by an equaliser from Bassette for the hosts, reports the Mirror. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi then put the promotion hopefuls back in front before Chris Wilder’s side was reduced to 10 men.
This match marked Coventry’s second game since the surprising dismissal of manager Mark Robins. The ex-Manchester United player had led City from League Two to the higher ranks of the second tier and an FA Cup semi-final last season.
(Image: No credit)
Robins’ sacking has triggered a strong reaction from fans, with his replacement yet to be announced. Rumours are swirling that Frank Lampard is leading the race for a high-profile managerial role, with reports suggesting advanced discussions with the Chelsea icon are underway.
Ahead of Coventry’s recent match, the club praised their former manager Robins, and Sheffield United’s boss Wilder shared his respect for him too. During the pre-match media briefing, Wilder said: “First of all I’d like to pay tribute to Mark Robins and the work that he did at that football club.
“I’ve known Mark for a long time, when he was local at Rotherham United as well, it’s an incredible batch of work that he’s done at that football club and I think that will be recognised by everyone around the city and most importantly everybody at the football club.”
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Elaborating on the challenges Robins faced, Wilder remarked: “We all understand the journey he was on and where they were and the issues they had, financial issues, supporter issues and the tough journey that club has been on, to get them within a penalty kick of the Premier League and within an incredibly tight decision to an FA Cup final, the group he assembled.”
Defending Robins’ position, Wilder added: “An owner makes a decision and Mark has lost his job. I think it’s quite lazy for journalists to define someone’s career over 10 games, I had that at Middlesbrough, his career won’t be defined by 10 or 15 games at the start of a season. It’ll be defined by the bulk of his work and the bulk of his work has been absolutely outstanding.”