Cardiff City defender Krystian Bielik has turned to a 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 said his family had received threats amid the controversy, which also saw him fined £10,000. Hampshire Police concluded no further action was needed, and Bielik was issued a community resolution order. He also sent a written apology to the fan before being charged by the Football Association.
Boss Brian Barry-Murphy said the club, including club psychologist Dr Mikel Mellick, has supported the 28-year-old through the fallout. "He's had full support from all our departments to make sure him and his family felt reassured that we would do everything to protect him and support him in what was a stressful time," Barry-Murphy said. Mellick, also a principal lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, is at the training ground nearly every day, while head of medical James Rowland helps players and their extended families.
Barry-Murphy provided a character reference and witness statement for Bielik's independent regulatory commission hearing. He stressed that players are "not robots" and that the club must learn from incidents like this one to ensure they do not happen again.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing