The Manchester City fan who confronted Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand at the end of their derby clash has been banned from attending football matches for three years. Manchester City fan Matthew Stott, 21, was told he came close to going to prison, but instead his 56-day jail term was suspended for 12 months.
Stott, a landscape gardener of Southfields, Knutsford, pleaded guilty to encroaching on the field of play and using insulting words or behaviour.
As well as the football ban and suspended jail sentence, he was ordered to do 120 hours community service, must pay £145 in costs and observe an 8pm to 6am home curfew for three months.
District Judge Richardson said: "He chose to attack somebody on a football pitch. But for the timely and appropriate intervention of the City goalkeeper the situation would have been a lot worse and could have triggered a serious incident of disorder."
Stott issued an apology through his solicitor Rebecca Caulfield the day after the match saying he was "extremely ashamed" of his actions.
