Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier's decision to confront a fan in the stands after their defeat by Norwich City in the FA Cup on Wednesday was borne out of frustration with his team's poor performances, former England defender Paul Parker said. England international Dier appeared to be upset at something said after the game and climbed into the crowd, climbing over seats and confronting a home fan before he was restrained by security guards and other fans.
It is believed his brother was in the section where the incident happened and Dier could be heard saying "he's my brother" in video footage posted on social media.
"It's something that footballers cannot be doing. His family come to football matches and they know there are going to be idiots there who are going to say bad things about their nearest and dearest," Parker wrote in his Eurosport column on Thursday. "I think it was more just sheer frustration at what is going on at Spurs of late with their performances and their results and that was his way of reacting to it. It's the environment he's in and it has caught hold of him."
Spurs have lost their last four matches in all competitions and are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification after reaching the final last season. The FA is looking into the incident and has asked the club and the player for their observations.
