A Birmingham managing director threw a coin at a linesman during a Villa game “out of frustration” at his team’s performance, a court heard.
John Billington, 43, was so disappointed with the 0-0 score he tossed a 50p coin from the crowd at the end of the game and it hit the official on the forehead.
Birmingham magistrates heard the impact knocked linesman Phil Sharp off his feet and left him a 1.5 cm cut.
Billington, of Beechey Close, Great Barr, admitted assault and sentencing was adjourned to February 5. He was told to expect a football banning order of at least three years and community punishment.
Nasreen Ashraf, prosecuting, said the incident happened during Villa’s game with Portsmouth at Villa Park in October.
Three minutes before the end Mr Sharp was on touchline the with his back to the Trinity Road stand when he felt a blow to the right side of his forehead and saw “something shiny” land.
“He realised he had been hit on the head by some sort of coin and shouted on his radio to the referee,” she said. “The force of the impact caused him to go down on one knee.”
Miss Ashraf said the players and officials came over and picked up a 50p.
The cut took 10 days to heal, she added.
A police inquiry was launched and officers were able to work out which row of seats in Block C3 of the Trinity Road stand the coin was thrown from.
Miss Ashraf said Billington gave himself up to police shortly afterwards.
Harman Bal, defending, said Billington was “profoundly ashamed”.
He said as soon as he heard police had narrowed down the group of seats he handed himself in because he did not want his friends to get the blame.
Mr Bal said Billington was the managing director of an engineering company employing seven people and had two daughters aged six and 10.
