John Mousinho Furious Over Krystian Bielik Incident

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho says he was “absolutely furious” at the position he was placed in over the incident involving Krystian Bielik and a supporter during Saturday’s win over Cardiff City.

The flashpoint came late in the second half as Cardiff defender Bielik went to retrieve the ball from the crowd. What followed was a physical altercation with a fan, an ugly interruption to a hard-fought game.

After the match, Hampshire Police confirmed they had opened an investigation into an incident “in which a teenage boy was reportedly the victim of a common assault”.

Mousinho spoke in the immediate aftermath, apologising to Cardiff’s players and condemning the behaviour of the supporters involved. At that stage, though, he was working off second-hand information.

By Wednesday, ahead of Portsmouth’s weekend fixture against Charlton, his tone had shifted once he had watched the footage for himself.

“I’ve now seen the footage and my comments post-match were entirely based off what I was told,” Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

When the incident unfolded, Mousinho’s view from the touchline was blocked. He relied on the referee’s description.

“When the altercation kicked off I couldn’t see it from where I was myself, the referee then spoke to us and his words at the time were very clear that he had seen the incident in its entirety.

“He said that as Krystian went over to get the ball, the fan slapped him, and a second fan threw a ball at Perry Ng’s head.”

The investigation now sits with the authorities, but the fallout has already left a manager angry at how quickly the narrative formed before he had the full picture.