Footballer 'left with fractured skull' after attack during amateur Liverpool match
Witnesses said the confrontation began after an Ormskirk player was headbutted in the 22nd minute
A footballer who also works for the NHS has been left with a fractured skull after an incident during an amateur match in Liverpool.
Listen to this article
Richard Agbasoga, 27, was playing for Ormskirk West End against Calci FC on Saturday when a group of around a dozen men reportedly stormed the pitch and set upon him.
The violent scenes erupted at Wavertree Sports Park, just three miles from Liverpool city centre, during a Liverpool Premier League match - part of England’s 12th-tier football pyramid.
Witnesses said the confrontation began after an Ormskirk player was headbutted in the 22nd minute, sparking a mass brawl. Moments later, spectators reportedly ran onto the field, chasing Agbasoga and punching and kicking him in the head.
Read More: Inter Milan goalkeeper runs over and kills elderly man, 81, in horror car crash
The match was abandoned with Ormskirk West End leading 2–0.
Agbasoga, who is originally from Ghana and works as a temporary NHS staff member, was rushed to hospital, where doctors confirmed he had suffered a fractured skull, The Athletic reported.
He now faces up to three months off work as he recovers.
Because he is an overseas student, he is not eligible for statutory sick pay.
His club has since set up a fundraising page to help cover his medical bills and living costs, with more than £2,200 raised by Tuesday morning.
The Liverpool County FA has launched an investigation and has suspended all Calci FC fixtures while the incident is reviewed, though the club itself has not been formally suspended.
According to The Athletic, Merseyside Police have not yet received a formal complaint.
Ormskirk West End, founded in 1970, counts former Chelsea, Everton and Leeds United executive Trevor Birch among its past players.