List of Violent Spectator Incidents in Sports - 2012

2012

• February 1 – A soccer match turned ugly in Port Said, Egypt at the conclusion of the match where Port Said's al-Masry beat Cairo's Al-Ahly 3–1. Witnesses said trouble broke out when Ahly fans unfurled banners insulting Port Said, and an Ahly supporter descended onto the pitch carrying an iron bar. Al-Masry fans reacted first by attacking Ahli players, then opposing fans. Fights from the stands poured out onto the field, causing riots and eventual civil unrest. The rioting resulted in 73 deaths and at least 1,000 injured, making it the worst disaster in the history of soccer in that nation.
• February 10 – A riot erupted after a boxing fight between Luis Lazarte and Johnriel Casimero was stopped in round ten and Casimiro credited with a tenth round technical knockout win in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Lazarte had been cited for illegal blows, and at one point in the fight had threatened referee Eddie Claudio. As Claudio was stopping the bout, spectators at ringside began throwing debris, drunk fans climbed into the ring, and chairs and bottles were thrown from the stands. Casimero was assaulted, one of his corner men, Sean Gibbons, was hit in the head and suffered a broken rib, several people were injured after being hit by chairs, while Claudio was hit in the mouth by a beer bottle and required stitches. The International Boxing Federation handed Lazarte a lifetime ban for his conduct.
• October 5 – In the eighth inning of the National League Wild Card playoff game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves, with runners on first and second, Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday were chasing a popup in short left field and a late infield fly rule was called. The ball dropped in as Kozma thought Holliday called him off, but the batter was ruled automatically out; the Braves fans, angry at the call, threw cups and plastic bottles on the field, causing a 19 minute delay as the ground crew cleaned up the debris. 43 fans were ejected.
• October 19 – During a Football League Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United at Hillsborough, Leeds supporter Aaron Cawley invaded the pitch and shoved Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland in the face before returning to the stands; Cawley was soon apprehended, and stated to police he was so drunk he could not remember his actions. He pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to 16 weeks jail and banned from attending football matches for six years.