Watford FC footballer suspended after mass brawl at Royal Ascot

A professional footballer has been suspended after he was allegedly involved in a mass brawl at Royal Ascot.

Watford player Reece Miller, 18, is believed to be one of the people caught on camera during the fight on Friday, which broke out as the Queen cheered on her two horses nearby.

A racegoer dressed in a pinstripe suit and flatcap, who appears to be the teenager, is seen wading into the ruckus and raining down several blows on another man in video footage of the incident.

Watford FC confirmed the third year academy striker had been suspended and an investigation is underway.

The club said in a statement: “We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.

“The club will not tolerate any behaviour which tarnishes its image and a full disciplinary investigation is now in process.

“As soon as the footage was brought to the club’s attention, an immediate decision was taken to suspend the player.

“He will now face an inquiry with all disciplinary options available to the club. There will be no further comment until the investigation is completed.”

The fight inside the Windsor Enclosure is believed to have been sparked by two men who began shoving each other after they bumped into one another.

In the footage one woman can be seen being knocked off her chair as a man is shoved into her before he is stamped on while on the ground.

An eyewitness said: “Two guys started pushing and shoving each other. Then a fight broke out, throwing punches and knocking girls over.

“I was shocked by it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. You don’t expect to see that at Ascot.”

Chief Superintendent Wong said: “These arrests represent an incredibly small minority of all those who attended Royal Ascot.”

A spokeswoman for the Royal Ascot told The Independent: “The incident was unfortunate and unrepresentative of the overall mood at the racecourse.

“With over 65,000 people in attendance, sadly it is difficult to eradicate all antisocial behaviour.

“Our security staff can and do remove people, and we operate a system whereby staff who identify antisocial behaviour give one warning.”

Thames Valley Police said 26 people were arrested for assaults, public order and driving offences at this year’s races.

Two men and a woman were arrested for affray following a separate fight at 7.20pm on Friday but later released.

A police spokeswoman said they were no details of arrests relating to the earlier mass fight, which happened at about 3.20pm.