Player Richard Agbasoga was left with a fractured skull after around a dozen men stormed the pitch during an amateur match, prompting his club’s fundraiser and an investigation by the local association.
In a shocking incident during a lower-tier football match, 27-year-old player and NHS worker Richard Agbasoga was left with a fractured skull after being attacked mid-game. The incident occurred while he was representing Ormskirk West End in a match against Calci FC, in the Liverpool County Premier League, at Wavertree Sports Park.
An on-field confrontation began after an Ormskirk player was reportedly head-butted in the 22nd minute, sparking a mass brawl. Eyewitnesses say approximately 12 spectators rushed onto the pitch, chasing Agbasoga and repeatedly punching and kicking him in the head.
The game was abandoned with Ormskirk leading 2–0. Agbasoga, who is originally from Ghana and works as a temporary NHS staffer, was taken to hospital and now faces up to three months’ absence from work. Because he is an overseas student, he is not eligible for statutory sick pay. The club has since launched a fundraising appeal and by Tuesday morning more than £2,200 had been donated to help with his medical bills and living costs.
The Liverpool County Football Association has suspended all fixtures involving Calci FC while it investigates the incident, although no formal complaint has yet been received by the police. Ormskirk West End, founded in 1970, has mobilised community support and condemned the violence.