Eric Dier’s altercation with a supporter following Tottenham’s FA Cup defeat to Norwich is being investigated by the Football Association.
The PA news agency understands the England midfielder’s confrontation with an individual in the West Stand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is being looked at.
The 26-year-old is likely to face disciplinary action from the FA over the incident.
Dier went into the crowd to confront a supporter who was arguing with the player’s brother.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho said he understood why he did it and hoped the club would not take disciplinary action against Dier.
It is understood Spurs will conduct a thorough review of the incident.
Mourinho said: “I think Eric Dier did something that we professionals cannot do but in these circumstances every one of us would do.
“Because when somebody insults you, and your family is there, and you get involved with the person that is insulting you, in this case a younger brother, I think Eric did what we professionals cannot do.”
The incident happened in the area behind the dugouts, which is a corporate section, and Mourinho has criticised it for not housing “real Tottenham fans”.
“Of course some are Tottenham fans but I think a lot of corporate,” he said.
“A lot (are there by) invitation, a lot of people with special status and probably it’s the place of the stadium where I sometimes have doubts over if they are the real Tottenham fans because these (real fans) are the ones who support the boys until the last.”
Eric Dier tryna fight a fan after a game🤨 straight savage 🙅🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/CTiHVxsTU5 — Jay Ilori (@JayIlori) March 4, 2020
Dier’s actions were witnessed by 16-year-old Spurs fan Jay Ilori (@JayIlori) who posted footage on his Twitter account.
Ilori told the PA News Agency: “I was in the second row and we were clapping Dier and a few other players as they were walking off the pitch. Eric Dier seemed to be staring into the crowd as if he recognised someone in his family.
“He was staring for about 30 seconds while walking off the pitch then he started walking towards the fans where I was sitting. He jumped over and everybody was in shock so we made space for him which is when he started walking over the seats.
“At the time all I heard was the fans in front of me shouting his name trying to get his attention as he was the closest player to the seats. After he did start climbing the seats, the fan he was trying to get to was running away and shouting he’s sorry and he didn’t mean anything.
“He looked scared for his life and used hand gestures to apologise to Dier before he could get to him. Dier didn’t say anything until he got near the fan when he started talking about something to do with his brother.”
