FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PLOIESTI,
Romania -- A soccer fan in Romania was charged Monday with running onto the
field and breaking a player's cheekbone, an outburst that triggered more
violence and forced the game to be called off.
The fan,
Dragos Petrut Enache, was being held for 24 hours after hitting Steaua
Bucharest defender George Galamaz on the side of the head and knocking him to
the ground on Sunday night, prosecutors said Monday.
The player
remained hospitalized with a broken right cheekbone and will be sidelined for
45 days, the club said.
Enache was
charged with disturbing public order and committing violence. A court will
decide whether he should be held for 29 days pending trial. Prosecutors said
Enache used a hard object to hit Galamaz and had taken drugs before the attack.
The game
between visiting Steaua Bucharest and Petrolul Ploiesti was halted after the
violence.
After
Galamaz was attacked, teammates knocked the fan to the ground and began beating
him before he was whisked away by security staff. Two players received red
cards for their conduct.
Steaua was
leading 1-0 in the first half when the man attacked the defender after the
referee awarded a penalty to the visiting team. The referee stopped play for
about 10 minutes.
When play
resumed, Steaua converted the penalty kick to go up 2-0. Petrolul Ploiesti fans
began throwing flares onto the field, and the referee decided to abandon the
game. Steaua Bucharest goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu was mildly injured by a
flare.
It wasn't immediately announced whether the game would be replayed
or if Steaua would be declared the winner. Petrolul Ploiesti was fined $3,200
Monday for the way it organized the match.
One of the worst in-game fan attacks though the all-time worst was the stabbing of Monica Seles.
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