Roy Keane reveals he was left in disbelief after 'headbutt' from Arsenal fan during Man Utd clash that sent him 'through some doors'

Scott Law, 43, of Waltham Abbey, Essex, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of common assault after allegedly headbutting Keane during Arsenal's 3-1 win over United at the Emirates in September 2023. The Irishman, who was on punditry duty for Sky Sports, told Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court the headbutt caused him to fall back through doors at the stadium. Law, on the other hand, claims Keane had "approached him in an aggressive manner" which led him to throw his head back in "self defence".

Keane, who claimed to have suffered bruising on his chest and arms as a result of the incident, told the court: "There was lots of noise and shouting, as you would expect at a football match. I was just walking and, before I knew it, I was hit. I felt the contact and fell back through some doors. I was absolutely not expecting it. The only way I can describe it is that I was in shock. I didn’t expect it to happen, not when I was in my workplace.”

The alleged assault happened in the closing moments of the match, with the game at 1-1 before Arsenal scored two late goals. Law, who fled the scene but was arrested the following day, was accused of making an "obscene gesture" towards the Sky studio where Keane had been watching alongside former Manchester City player Micah Richards. Shortly afterwards, the confrontation with Keane occurred, with prosecutor Simon Jones describing this as a "shocking an unlawful attack".

Law told the court there was "no doubt" in his mind Keane was going to attack him and that he had seen the Irishman "act violently" in the past, that he had a "short temper" and he was "frightened".

It is expected the trial will conclude on Friday, May 31.