An amateur soccer player reportedly suffered a skull fracture after being attacked during a match. Richard Agbasoga was playing for Ormskirk West End in English football’s 12th tier when the attack occurred.
Ormskirk West End faced Calchi FC on Saturday in the Liverpool County Premier League Championship Division looking for their second league win of the season. However, midway through the first half, things took a turn for the worse.
According to The Athletic, there was a commotion on the pitch when another Ormskirk West End player was headbutted in the 22nd minute.
Witnesses who witnessed the incident at Wavertree Sports Park, about three miles from Liverpool city centre, told the magazine there was initially a headbutt followed by a confrontation between the players.
Spectators chased Agbasoga and then attacked him. The 27-year-old is said to have been punched and kicked in the head after about 12 people entered the pitch.
The match was eventually abandoned, with Ormskirk West End leading 2-0 at the time.
Liverpool County FA are currently investigating the incident and matches involving Culci FC have been suspended by the Liverpool Premier League. However, Calchi FC itself has not been suspended.
Meanwhile, Merseyside Police were contacted by the aforementioned media outlets following the incident, but confirmed that no formal charges had been laid.
Agbasoga, an international student from Ghana, is a temporary NHS worker. He is expected to miss up to three months due to his injury.
After the incident, a GoFundMe fundraising page was set up to raise money for the players.
The page says: “Richard will be out of work for up to 12 weeks as a result of injuries sustained in a football match at Ormskirk West End, including a fractured skull. And as an international student and temporary NHS worker, he will not receive statutory sick pay. Your donations will go directly to Richard to help cover his costs until he returns to work.”
This page has been set up with a target of £3,000. And by lunchtime on Tuesday, the page had raised £2,245 for the injured footballer, with a total of 65 people sending in donations.
According to the FA website, Saturday’s match between Ormskirk West End and Formby FC has been postponed. The team will travel to L4 Football Club next Saturday and return to action. They will then host back-to-back home league matches against Granby Toxteth Athletic DS and Arc FC respectively.
