In the late stages of Crystal Palace's 1-0 win over Leicester City, Palace midfielder James McArthur was involved in a collision with City manager Nigel Pearson. McArthur crashed into Pearson, forcing him to the ground and the two became tangled together. At a certain Pearson wound up on top of McArthur with his hands around McArthur's neck.
It almost looked like they were both smiling at one point—but they could easily be wincing instead—and Pearson played it down after the match, but still, this is pretty weird. McArthur clearly did not enjoy having Pearson's hands around his neck and immediately tossed him off, but Pearson held on to his jersey for a long, long time. Maybe he thought McArthur ran into him on purpose? Or maybe he's just pissed that Wigan rejected Leicester's offers for McArthur in the offseason.
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When asked after the game why he didn't just let McArthur go, Pearson said he didn't have anything against McArthur, but that "he said something to me." In December, Pearson was involved in a cursing match with a fan during a 3-1 loss at home to Liverpool. He was suspended one match and fined £10,000 for the incident.Update February 8, 2015: Leicester City have sacked Pearson one day after his altercation with McArthur. Per the Guardian:
Update 2: Now the team has come out and denied the reports, saying Pearson has not been fired and will be with the team Tuesday against Arsenal.It is understood that the incident played a part in Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his board's decision to part company with the 51-year-old, although a record of just four wins and five draws from their 24 games so far was also to blame.
Contrary to reports, Nigel Pearson remains the Club's First Team Manager. Statement here http://t.co/QvmIrltulV #lcfc
— Leicester City (@OfficialFOXES) February 8, 2015