Championship player fined and banned after appearing to grab a fan by the throat

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FT Desk

Cardiff defender Krystian Bielik has been banned for two matches and fined £10,000 after an altercation with a Portsmouth fan in September.

In the second half of the Championship fixture, Bielik looked to retrieve a ball from the crowd to get play moving quickly but ended up getting involved in a fracas with an opposition supporter.

Video footage suggests that Bielik may have grabbed the fan, a teenager, in the upper body area, potentially around the throat.

He got a slap in the face from the Portsmouth supporter as a melee ensued.

"We can confirm that we are investigating an incident in which a teenage boy was reportedly the victim of a common assault during the football match at Fratton Park. Our enquiries are ongoing," the police said at the time.

Krystian Bielik grabs a young Portsmouth fan by the neck here 🤯😳

The young fan then retaliates and is asked to leave.#pompey #cityasone pic.twitter.com/U3UR5Hkhci

— Championship Terrace Talk (@ChampionshpTalk) September 5, 2026

Another fan threw a ball at the head of Cardiff defender Perry Ng and both that fan and the other who allegedly slapped Bielik were escorted out of the ground.

The Football Association has banned and fined Bielik, but a Hampshire Police investigation determined that there was no need for further legal action as long as the player made a public apology.

The FA charge stated that: "It was alleged that the player acted in an improper manner around the 71st minute of the fixture.

"Krystian Bielik subsequently admitted the charge. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions following a hearing, and the written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course."

Pompey went on to win the game 2-0 thanks to goals Conor Shaughnessy and Marko Milovanovic.