There is another pun in this story somewhere about sports money going to people’s head, but it really is no laughing matter when you see footage of the Football referee suddenly fall to the ground, almost lifeless:

Fourth official Alan Sheffield needed medical treatment for a head wound when he was struck by a coin in County’s all-Welsh tie with Swansea and the FA of Wales are set to investigate.

At first I could not believe a small coin could have been expected to knock someone to the ground so violently, but some friends who live in Britain assure me that this is a known fact. It makes sense when you think about it, I guess, as the thrower was probably quite strong and so the weight of English money, not to mention the shape, makes it a very potent weapon. Sadly, this is not an isolated case:

Meanwhile, it emerged today that Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Steve Phillips was also targeted by a supporter during the match at Barrow.

The coin missed on that occasion but Cumbria Police have launched an appeal for witnesses in a bid to catch the fan.

There have been similar incidents at Premiership matches, with Fulham’s Claus Jensen hit by a coin against Everton and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie struck during the game at West Ham.

The story talks about the potential for a ban, if investigations fail to find the culprits and incidents continue. Imagine not being able to bring coins into a stadium…maybe they could just put a collection bin at the gates? What would the money be used for? Or maybe it is not coins that will be banned but the fans themselves? After all, some might say coins do not injure people, English football hooligans do.