List of Violent Spectator Incidents in Sports - 2002

2002

• March 17 – A brawl broke out in the stands between Leigh Centurions and Wigan Warriors fans at Hilton Park, and bottles were thrown on to the pitch, causing a ten-minute delay.
• June 15 – After an AFL match between Carlton and the West Coast Eagles at Optus Oval which the Eagles won by one point, field umpires were abused by Carlton fans and a beer bottle was thrown, forcing the league to upgrade security at the arena.

• August 10 – During a rugby union Tri-Nations match in Durban between South Africa and New Zealand, a drunk South African fan, Pieter van Zyl, scaled a perimeter fence, ran onto the pitch and tackled the referee, David McHugh of Ireland, leaving McHugh with a dislocated shoulder and having to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher. All Blacks flanker Richie McCaw promptly punched van Zyl in the face and wrestled him to the ground until police and security arrested him. van Zyl was convicted of trespassing and assault, and was sentenced to three months in jail, fined $275, and banned for life from attending rugby matches in South Africa.
• August 18 – At the end of an AFL match between Richmond and Hawthorn, a female stalker of five years on a restraining order ran onto the field to approach Richmond's Greg Stafford and tried to embrace him before he pushed her away and summoned security and police, who ejected the woman from the arena. The incident sparked much media attention as Stafford raised the issue of player security.
• September 10 – 10 minutes before kickoff in a Worthington Cup match between Luton Town and Watford at Vicarage Road, Luton fans invaded the pitch; after Watford fans did the same, a brawl broke out on the pitch between the two sets of supporters, with one fan being knocked unconscious and having to be taken from the field on a stretcher before riot police restored order. Two fans were arrested and another 50 were ejected.

• September 16 – A fight broke out amongst fans at FedEx Field during a Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins with six and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Police broke up the fight by using pepper spray, but the mist hit air blowers near the Eagles bench which affected the players, resulting in an eight minute delay of the game.
• September 19 – During a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was violently assaulted by 34-year-old William Ligue Jr. and his 15-year-old son, William Ligue III.
• November 23 – As tensions between the two teams built throughout a penalty-filled college football game between Hawaiʻi and Cincinnati at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, a controversial late hit on the already injured Hawaiʻi quarterback Timmy Chang caused a bench-clearing brawl which also involved both teams' mascots. Cincinnati's athletic director Bob Goin accused Hawaiʻi fans of threatening Cincinnati players, coaches, and cheerleaders, and police used pepper spray on fans who threw beer cups and garbage at Cincinnati players after the game.
• December 14 – After a controversial call gave the Sacramento Kings a win over the Utah Jazz at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, fans littered officials and Kings' players and officials with beer cups and other debris as they left the court, forcing the officials to cover their heads with their jackets to avoid being hit.