BROTHERLY love cost a footballer his freedom yesterday.

Michael Crowther was jailed for two months after a court heard he stepped in to help his younger brother, Daniel, in a tussle with an opposition player during a needle cup game.

But the punch thrown by Crowther, 21, broke bricklayer Andrew Green's cheekbone and left him with eyesight problems, York Crown Court was told.

Crowther, of Wood Close, Thorpe Willoughby, near Selby, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Green, aged 30, during the match at Thorpe Willoughby between the Tang Hall Hotel team from York and Thorpe United.

As Judge Trevor Barber passed sentence and Crowther, who has never before been in trouble, was led away to the cells, Daniel Crowther, aged 18, broke down in tears, held his head in his hands and was visibly stunned.

The judge said Crowther, a former Selby Town player, quite wrongly got involved in the trouble between his brother and Mr Green and added: "I am afraid to say that conduct like this in the course of a sporting activity cannot be overlooked."

James Robinson, prosecuting, said the brothers had turned out for the Sunday League cup game last March, when trouble flared between Mr Green and Daniel Crowther.

Michael Crowther went to the aid of his brother and in the off-the-ball incident that followed punched Mr Green, a centre midfield player from York, in the face.

This resulted in his cheekbone being fractured near the eye socket and the victim's sight was now impaired. He also suffers from blackouts.

Martin Todd, for Crowther, said: "What happened was in the context of a highly competitive game of football. It did have horrendous consequences but it came about because his first thought was for his brother whom he wanted to protect."

Mr Todd said only one punch was thrown and the phrase "the red haze descended" was clearly what happened in this case.

He said Michael Crowther, initially banned by the Football Association for five months, had now given up playing his beloved football. He was full of remorse and his world had come crashing down because of five seconds of bad behaviour.

Because Crowther had pleaded guilty and only used his fist, the appropriate sentence was two months' imprisonment.

Crowther was also ordered to pay £600 prosecution costs.

The sentence was welcomed today by Arthur Myers, chairman of the York FA disciplinary committee, who said: "It is the first time I have seen anybody sent to prison for something like this but I welcome it. Something has to be done. There is more and more violence now and there is no place for it on or off the field."

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