In March 2020, moments after Tottenham had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Norwich, Eric Dier ran into the stands to defend his brother, who had been involved in a heated argument with a fan. The fan fled, the English central defender did not confront him but was sanctioned with a four-game suspension and a fine of 40,000 pounds sterling. More than two years later, the episode still resonates.
“Everything has gotten worse since then. For me, it is a serious problem. I had family and friends at the Chelsea away game at the start of the season and they had problems. It wasn’t pretty. It’s a huge, huge problem. It was verbal, it wasn’t physical, but it was a really bad thing. And I want to make it clear that it comes from both sides. I’m not saying they are Chelsea fans or Tottenham fans. They are football fans, in general”, said the player trained at Sporting at a press conference at the concentration of the English team, which faces Italy and Germany in the coming days in the decisive matches of the League of Nations.
Eric Dier loses his mind, gets on the bench after the game due to confusion with his brother and gets into clashes with fans
Without going into too much detail, Eric Dier clearly decided it was time to address the violence, verbal and physical, currently experienced in football stadiums and beyond, and how the violence directly affects him and his family. . “I never complain about these things and I really don’t care. But there are some things that seem strange to me. Its not cute. My family never goes to away games for these things anymore and it’s a shame I feel too uncomfortable if they do. It has been that way for the last few years. My mom never went to a game away from home. She’d love to go, but I’d be worried. And that’s crazy, right? All of our families go through this. All the parents of players have seen games since we were children and we have all been through this type of situation, ”adds the 28-year-old center-back.
At the same press conference, Dier spoke directly about the incident after the Norwich match more than two years ago, something he had never done before. “I never talked about the situation in the media because, to be honest, I was not very happy with the way the matter was handled. I don’t know what I can say because I don’t know if I’m going to be suspended or fined again. It wasn’t as dramatic as people said it was. And I don’t regret it, I would do the same again. For my family, for my colleagues, for a friend, for anyone. I consider myself extremely loyal,” he added.
The idol Nadal, the admiration for the Queen and the ashes in the Tottenham stadium: the elections of Eric Dier
Eric Dier has once again been called up to the England team, something that hasn’t happened since March of last year and that occurs at a time when Tottenham are starting the season on the right foot and the centre-back is back in his best form. “I don’t want to seem like the teacher’s favourite, but Antonio Conte has helped me a lot, in all aspects. I had never learned so much. He is the godfather of three centre-backs, so I am constantly evolving in this system. It helped me regain my confidence. I think I reached the best moment of my career, not only this season but last season. I am improving and I can improve even more”, explained the defender.
Source: Observadora
