Cardiff City's Krystian Bielik has turned to a club psychologist to cope with alleged death threats following his altercation with a Portsmouth fan. The Polish defender is set to return from a two-match ban this weekend after the incident at Fratton Park last month.
Bielik admitted a misconduct charge after being deemed to have grabbed the young supporter by the shoulder. He was also fined £10,000. Bielik said his family had received threats amid the controversy.
Boss Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed the club, including psychologist Dr Mikel Mellick, has been supporting the 28-year-old. "We have Mikel at the training ground nearly all days," Barry-Murphy said. Head of medical James Rowland has also helped ensure players receive support, including for their extended families when necessary.
A Hampshire Police investigation concluded no further action was needed, and Bielik received a community resolution order. He also sent a written apology to the fan before being charged by the Football Association. Barry-Murphy provided a character reference for Bielik's regulatory commission hearing and said the club aims to help players remain professional, while acknowledging that players are not robots and mistakes will happen. The key lesson, he said, is to learn from such incidents and make sure they do not happen again.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing