Martin Jol branded the fan who ran onto the pitch to attack Frank Lampard on Monday night as a 'disgrace.' Holding back his obvious anger, Jol went on, 'I find it incredible that this happened - it defies belief. I mean, who could fail to hit a face as fat as that.'

Meanwhile, Teesside Police are investigating a further incident on Monday night when a man ran on the pitch during the Middlesbrough v Manchester United FA Cup Quarter-Final match and belly flopped in front of the Boro goalkeeper. This follows a series of similar incidents involving Manchester United and is a cause of major concern for the FA and many police constabularies across the nation.

'This is a serious worry to us,' said an FA spokesperson in London. 'It creates anger and resentment from both players and spectators alike and is an embarrassment for English football'. Remarkably, United's manager Alex Ferguson had a different opinion.

'I've seen all these incidents firsthand,' he said. 'And I want to make it quite clear - every time Ronaldo does it, it's a cast iron penalty.'