Bellamy pushed fan in
'self-defence'
Mark Hughes endured a rollercoaster afternoon at Old
Trafford on Sunday
Mark
Hughes has defended Craig Bellamy following
the Welsh forward's alleged striking of a pitch invader at Old
Trafford during the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Bellamy appeared to strike the intruder while he was being
restrained by stewards, after the fan had encroached on to the
playing surface following Michael Owen's late winner for Manchester
United in the 4-3 victory over City. But the City
manager said the striker was acting in self-defence, describing the
incident as "something and nothing".
"Craig obviously wasn't privy to how much time was left so he
wanted the guy to get off as quick as possible and told him so,"
said the Manchester City
manager. "Obviously the guy has made an aggressive movement towards
him, and Craig put up a defensive hand to push the guy away, which
he was right to do."
Hughes confirmed that City are yet to be contacted by the
Football Association, but said that this explanation would be the
one given to the FA if they did seek to speak to the club.
