Frank Lampard believes Eric Dier’s decision to confront a fan in the stands after Wednesday’s FA Cup defeat to Norwich was a “natural reaction”.
The Tottenham midfielder faces potential disciplinary action from the FA over the incident, which saw him clamber over rows of seats to defend his brother after he had gotten into an argument with a Spurs fan.
However, Chelsea boss Lampard says that professional footballers deserve credit for not reacting to abuse more regularly, having often been targeted by rival fans during his playing days.
“I think players should be given a lot of credit sometimes that they hold themselves in certain moments,” Lampard said.
“We talk about certain types of hate in the game, and we analyse them, and then other types of hate seemingly are okay to say something to you or about your family. I have heard all of that and sometimes you don't pick up on it and it's all okay because of the pantomime nature of football.
“I think if you asked the man or woman in the street, if one of your family members needed protection, your natural reaction would be to go there.
“Because we are in the sport that we are in, you are not supposed not, not allowed to as such. But when you talk about natural reactions, I understand it.”
