Player Hit By Firework in Northern Ireland Derby

This is not good. The long-running sectarian rivalry between Belfast teams Linfield and Cliftonville took a nasty turn last night when Linfield’s Conor Hagan was hit by a firework launched from the crowd at Windsor Park.

The final whistle of the County Antrim Shield final had just gone with Cliftonville winning 2-1, when Hagan was struck in the back by a firework, which then exploded. Incredibly, Hagan’s OK (the above photo is of him shocked but uninjured after the attack).

“I was lying on the ground disgusted with the result and didn’t see the firework coming,” he told the Belfast Telegraph. “It hit me on the back when it went off and it was more the bang that scared me and I was in shock for few seconds. It could have been a lot worse so I am relieved that I am not injured.”

Images of the incident as it happened (via The Mirror)

Hagan was helped by players and medics from both teams. But depressingly, the incident sparked riots between rival fans outside the stadium.

It’s especially depressing because it doesn’t have to be this way. Only last week, fans of the two clubs joined together and collected money to fight cancer.

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