Goalkeeper Tony Thompson rediscovers his love for football after a ‘disgusting urine prank’ left him wanting to quit altogether.
On the 19th of November 2022, Warrington played host to Guiseley in the second round of the FA Trophy. Come the 61st minute, Thompson drank from his water bottle during a match for Warrington Town against Guiseley in, only to discover a fan had swapped it with urine.
Warrington Town tweeted: “61 | Just managed to catch Thompson on his way back in – an away fan has apparently urinated in his water bottle, and then when Thompson has squirted it at said ‘fan’ after finding out, he’s been sent off. (0-0)”
A few hours later, Tony Thompson wrote: “Today I fell out of love with the GAME! I’ve been called many names but for someone to piss in my bottle, for me to drink it and then to be told I wasn’t allowed to react because I’m a player is outrageous. That person has put me my family’s health at risk and knocked me sick.”
The video went viral, leaving much of social media users is disbelief at what they what happened…
Warrington keeper posts tweet after being sent off for reaction to fan urinating in his bottle
Shocked, he confronted the fan, but got sent off, and his team fell to a 1-0 defeat. He received a reduced one-match ban.
Thompson, who was devastated and considering quitting football, went viral when a video of the prank was uploaded onto social media.
Thankfully, he got the right support from family, teammates, and ex-pro Chris Kirkland. The culprit fan who was banned indefinitely and said sorry in a letter, with Thompson declining to press charges.
Now, three years on since it happened, the 30-year-old keeper has opened up on the incident, as well as rediscovering his love for the game, now playing for Bootle.
Today I fell out of love with the GAME! I’ve been called many names but for someone to piss in my bottle, for me to drink it and then to be told I wasn’t allowed to react because I’m a player is outrageous. That person has put me my family’s health at risk and knocked me sick. https://t.co/6bVozrzMwF
— Tony Thompson (@tonythompson918) November 19, 2022
Thompson said, as per BBC Sport’s report: “At first I wanted to be sick.
“I turned round to confront whoever had done it and there was a lad stood there who said ‘it’s me, what are you going to do about it?’
“My head was completely gone. It got a bit heated.
“I gripped the lad and emptied the bottle near him or on him. I threw the bottle away in anger and told him ‘that’s disgusting’.
“It was mad for a few days afterwards. I was getting requests for interviews but I want to be known for being a good goalkeeper – not famous because someone urinated in my bottle!
“Immediately after the game, I was ready to quit,” says Thompson, who was part of the Altrincham team that won six ties to reach the FA Cup second round in 2019.
“No player steps on to the football pitch to be treated that way. I love a bit of interaction with fans. Most of the time it ends up with me shaking hands with opposition supporters at the end of the game.
“What happened against Guiseley wasn’t banter. I don’t play football for things like that.
“In the end I decided I wanted to carry on playing because something like that shouldn’t make me stop. The only way I’ll stop is if I can’t physically play any more.
The fan in question ending up being tracked down and banned indefinitely, while Thompson was asked by Cheshire Police if he wanted to press charges but decided against it.
Thompson said: “He was a young lad and we all make mistakes.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not soft and what he did was disgusting. But I didn’t want one incident to hinder his future.
“He sent me a letter saying sorry. I did read it but at the time I was still angry because it was so raw.”
These days, he’s loving football again, saying: “I love the community feel, the family feel of non-league football.
“During my five years at Altrincham, I knew everyone’s name and they all knew my name.
“At Bootle, there’s a massive family feel around the club. The chairman, the supporters… they’re all in it for the same reason. It’s for the love of the game.
“I’m 100% glad I decided not to quit playing in the end.
“One of my dreams is to walk out on to the pitch before a game with my son. That’s a memory I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
