FA gets tough after night of missiles

There was also an alarming remark from Chelsea physiotherapist Mike Banks, who was pelted with coins as he tried to treat an injury to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Banks said: "I have never known anything like this before in England. It has happened to me before abroad, but never in this country."

A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said three people were arrested for invading the pitch and others for carrying weapons, including knives, and public order offences. Most arrests were made before the game.

Last night's ugly events follow those in Cardiff at the weekend when referee Andy D'Urso was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd during the FA Cup third-round clash with Leeds United. The FA are also investigating events at that match.

Bevington said: "We cannot have any missiles being thrown on to the pitch anywhere.

"Because most of the seats in this country are season tickets we will use CCTV to try and identify people responsible for throwing missiles at games. Anybody who is identified could be banned for life from grounds in this country. We want to stamp this out and eradicate it from the game as soon as possible."

Hutchinson said: "Chelsea will be seeking help from Tottenham to identify the person or persons who were involved in the throwing of coins. I would hope that we will be able to identify the culprit from the video evidence. We are also asking our decent fans to give us any information they have.

"We would also like our own fans to help us identify the people who threw the bottle. We do not want to go back to the dark days of fencing but if this cancer spreads then the situation will only get worse."

It is clear that supporters of both clubs threw objects last night but the FA already has three other missile-throwing cases involving Tottenham fans to consider.

A plastic beer bottle was aimed at former player Sol Campbell on his return to White Hart Lane with Arsenal and last month the club's fans were reported for hurling a lighter and several packed plastic anoraks at Fulham's Luis Boa Morte during a Worthington Cup tie at Craven Cottage.

They were also in trouble after midfielder Gus Poyet was spotted removing a bottle thrown on to the pitch during their 3-2 Premiership-victory over Bolton at White Hart Lane.

That incident prompted the club's vice-chairman, David Buchler, to say he would consider banning the sale of bottled beer in the ground and order increased vigilance from stewards.

Physio Banks said of last night's coin-throwing: "It may not seem too serious but coins can do a lot of damage. We saw that when the referee was hit by a coin during the Cardiff-Leeds game on Sunday. I just hope something can be done to make sure it doesn't happen again, before someone is seriously hurt."

Chelsea stunned many observers by selecting both Jody Morris and John Terry last night, hours after they had been remanded in court on charges relating to an alleged nightclub assault. The two players ran out together and embraced before kick-off.

Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, who is on holiday and was not at the match, used his programme notes to lecture Terry for being at a drinking club at the time of the assault.

Bates said: "John is now at the crossroads of his career. His England hopes are in tatters and already he is taking stick from the crowd. He must ask himself if he wants to follow the path which is littered with drunks and wrecks of former players or emerge from this episode stronger and better for it."

Bates blamed "falling standards" in society for the recent rash of incidents involving footballers.

"The wider problem is that society has changed and continues to do so," Bates said in last night's programme notes.

"Standards are falling, the old social order is crumbling and nothing is emerging to replace it.

"At all levels of society, alcohol-induced excesses of bad behaviour are now prevalent and there is nobody to set an example.

"The tabloid press highlights and sometimes exaggerates every little incident but that goes with the territory."

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