Arsenal Fan Found Guilty of Assaulting Roy Keane at Premier League Match

An Arsenal fan has been found guilty of headbutting former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane during a Premier League match.

Scott Law, 43, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was accused of assaulting Keane on September 3, 2022, following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.

Keane, who was working as a pundit for Sky Sports, was heading to provide a final analysis when the incident occurred, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard.

Footage shared on social media showed fellow pundit Micah Richards stepping in to break up the altercation. Keane, 52, expressed that he was left “in shock” by the confrontation.

Law, who pleaded not guilty to common assault, claimed that Keane had provoked him, telling him to “meet him outside” after their banter escalated. The defense argued that CCTV footage showed Keane elbowing Law in the face, an allegation Keane denied.

District Judge Angus Hamilton, delivering his verdict, stated that he found Law “untruthful about what happened,” asserting there was no reason for Keane to have specifically targeted Law.

The judge noted that Keane “was calm and not agitated” when he left the studio and dismissed the notion that Keane’s reputation as a “hard man of football” influenced the incident, emphasizing that Keane’s tough persona was “years ago and confined to the football pitch.”

“I’m sure Mr. Law assaulted Mr. Keane,” Judge Hamilton concluded. Law did not react as the verdict was delivered.

Micah Richards, who was working with Keane at the match, testified that he was in “disbelief” about the incident and felt “sorry for Roy,” whom he described as a friend. Richards denied claims from Law’s defense that he only claimed to witness the headbutt because of his friendship with Keane. “I felt sorry for Roy. Just because of the fact you’ve come to work, to do your job and you’ve been assaulted,” Richards said. “I could see he was physically shaken up. You do what any friend would do, or any colleague, step in and try to help the situation.”

Richards added, “It was a surreal moment. We weren’t going to a UFC match. We were at work.”

Law testified that Keane appeared “angry” throughout the game and that Keane “picked me out and started telling me to see him outside.” Law claimed that when he went inside the stadium to use the toilet, he encountered Keane who “collided into him.”

The court ultimately found Law guilty of the assault, underscoring the severity of the offense and its impact on Keane and those around him.