Boss of fan knocked out at West Ham vs Chelsea breaks silence on apprentice
The football fan who was knocked out before West Ham and Chelsea's Premier League game last weekend is an apprentice electrician at a Surrey firm who actually supports AFC Wimbledon.
Bill Tarbuck went viral on Saturday afternoon after footage of him being floored with one punch for taunting a group of Hammers fans was posted on Twitter. A second video posted a few minutes later then showed a dazed Mr Tarbuck being taken away in a wheelchair with a cut to his mouth.
But the sparked-out sparky's boss at Elite Electrical Contracting has now said Mr Tarbuck does not even support Chelsea while describing him as a “good egg” who was named their junior apprentice of the year in 2021.
Gregg Barnes, the firm's owner, told MailOnline : 'I have spoken to Bill. He has gotten a bit of grief and banter, but nobody condones what happened. Everyone is of the impression that he deserved it because he found himself in a silly position.
“In the four or five years he has worked with us, there has never been any sign he is anything like that. We have high hopes for him in the future and becoming a central part of our plans moving forward. He never has time off and is always on time.
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“The weird part is that he is actually a Wimbledon fan. He just went with a group of mates and got in with the wrong crowd. He is very sorry for what he has done.
"I have told him that he needs to move on from it and get his head down. He has been sent home for a week and has to be on light duties for a week when he returns. Hopefully he will learn from that and it will be a life lesson for him. Nobody has been hurt."
Bill Tarbuck is seen taunting fans on video before being punched. (@Harry_Westgate_ / Twitter)
After coming to his senses he was wheeled away by a steward. (fredh_ / Twitter)A 22-year-old man was arrested for grievous bodily harm and bailed until mid-May following the incident, which occurred before the 1-1 draw at London Stadium.
A local artist, Canning Town Len, has been selling prints of the punch and Mr Barnes said that some of his colleagues have been trying to purchase the £29 artworks. He added: “We were going to buy him the canvas but we couldn't get hold of it.
“Bill started with us around June 2019 and is 20 or 21 now. He has been a model apprentice. With the Covid times through college, a lot of lessons were online but he never fell behind like others did.
“People want him on their projects as he is an all round good egg. He will get stick and banter, but that is what he deserves. From our view, he won't get any repercussions. We believe it to be a one off incident that he will learn from.”
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