A Nigerian father, Martin Ogazi, 39, has been accused of beating up a rival coach while cheering on his son’s junior football team, Old Bailey court heard today.
The beating allegedly left coach Stewart Collins, nursing a broken nose and two black eyes in a touchline brawl over aggressive tackling.
According to Naijapals: Ogazi said he was set upon by Mr Collins, his wife Claire, and his sister Tracey. He claimed he only threw punches to defend himself.
The alleged attack happened on the touchline of a match between rival under-nine sides Eversley United and Danson Sports FC.
When Ogazi’s son, an Eversley player, committed a foul, Ogazi is said to have shouted ‘give him more of that’ across the pitch.
Mr Collins, the Danson Sports manager, objected and went over to Ogazi to tell him to stop encouraging his son to hurt the opposition.
Mr Collins said he was polite and courteous, but was met with a barrage of punches from the defendant.
Ogazi, who regularly cheers on his son from the sidelines, told the court: ‘At all points in this incident from the approach of Mr Collins to the end, I was acting in self defence.’
He said Collins, who was jabbing his finger at him, was the aggressor, and reacted angrily to him pushing his hand away.
Ogazi said he was then attacked from behind by Collins’ wife and sister, was grabbed round the waist and started swinging his arms to get free.
He said: ‘I was being punched and kicked, and I mostly punched my way out.’
Ogazi is accused of assaulting the two women during the incident, on March 23 last year, as well as attacking another team manager, Steve Ristow, as he tried to break up the fight.
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