'They attacked me' - Simon Jordan reveals extraordinary Charlton Athletic fan confrontation | OneFootball

Simon Jordan recounted a story of how Charlton Athletic fans attacked him and some security guards

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan recounted a story of how Charlton Athletic fans attacked him back when he was Palace's chairman.

The topic comes following the incident involving Cardiff City defender Krystian Bielik and a Portsmouth fan in the crowd during the Bluebirds' 2-0 defeat at Fratton Park last Saturday.

The police are still dealing with the incident, which saw the 28-year-old involved in a physical altercation with a fan while retrieving a ball. Cardiff coach Brian Barry-Murphy stated afterwards that Bielik "got slapped in the face," while numerous Pompey fans felt that the crowd member was grabbed by the throat.

It's sparked conversation surrounding the extent of what fans can do in games and how far things can go before player protection is brought into question.

Simon Jordan recounts Charlton Athletic fan altercation story

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Speaking on his TalkSport show, which he hosts with Jim White on weekdays, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan spoke about his many experiences of fan altercations, from both his own fans and opposition fans, too.

Palace and Charlton have a long, storied rivalry in South London, which hasn't been renewed in over a decade now, but the two sides clashed regularly in the 2010s in both the Premier League and the Championship.

The polarising businessman spoke about one time when he needed security around him for a game between Palace and Charlton, and even then, the Addicks fans still found a way to get their hands on him.

"I've told you this story at Charlton, where their fans decided I was public enemy number one," he said. "We had to have security, but they attacked the guards around me and me.

"I provoked them as well; I called them morons and imbeciles and whatever, but that doesn't mean I should be assaulted, notwithstanding that!"

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South London derbies are often very fierce. Even if both see other clubs as their main rivals, that doesn't stop Charlton and Crystal Palace from having some feisty matchups. Evidently, that doesn't stop on the field, either.

Palace have had the upper hand historically over Charlton, winning half of the meetings between the two sides, including the last three, which included doing the double over the Addicks the last time they shared divisions in 2012/13.

But before then, Charlton picked up their fair share of wins, especially when Simon Jordan was in charge.

Between 2000 and 2010, the Addicks won five of the eight meetings between the two sides, and they even relegated Palace from the Premier League at The Valley after a 2-2 draw back in May 2005.

Jordan took to his column in the Observer after that draw to state that Charlton fans "revelled in it, abused us and even did the bloody conga." Even going further to state that the opposing chairman "celebrated the draw as if they’d won the Champions League."

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Rivalry is everything in football, and there wouldn't be any point in celebrating a result if you didn't feel as happy about getting one over the opposition as you did from winning in the first place.

However, fans can sometimes take things too far, and player and official safety is paramount in this situation. Words and banter can be exchanged, but when things get physical, that's where a line needs to be drawn.

It's still unknown as to what conclusions will be drawn from the Bielik incident, with the investigation still ongoing. But either way, physical fan confrontation shouldn't be present in the game, no matter who instigates it.