This story was in the Sunday Sun
Toon team-mates Craig Bellamy and Carl Cort were attacked by fans at the Stadium of Light when they attended a recent England match.
Striker Bellamy was attacked when he tried to act as peacemaker after a rowdy group of supporters tried to provoke the pair into a fight.
Rocking
The 23-year-old Welsh international and Cort had travelled to Sunderland to support team-mate Kieron Dyer at the England v Turkey clash two weeks ago.
After a mob of fans spotted Cort's personal car numberplate they surrounded the pair and began rocking his car.
When Bellamy tried to intervene and calm them down, he was kicked, struck and threatened by fans decked out in England shirts.
Eyewitnesses say Bellamy pleaded: "We don't want any trouble" but was ignored.
His solicitor Graham Shear said yesterday: "Yes there was a minor fracas."
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He claimed: "A Sunderland fan who'd had a little too much to drink had a pop at Craig. Craig calmed things down very quickly."
Officials are keen to play down the incident ahead of next Saturday's derby game at the Stadium of Light.
Mr Spear added: "It was one of those things that happen in football and Craig doesn't want to make anything more of it."
But Mark Tearney, assistant editor of Sunderland Fanzine Sex and Chocolate, said the incident could inflame the already-tense atmosphere at next week's match.
He said: "The atmosphere outside the England game was pretty intense.
"The thing is, all football teams have their elements who take things too far.
"Bellamy is no stranger to controversy, but this doesn't mean he deserves to be hit. It might cause a few problems and will certainly add a bit of extra spice.
"I don't think the incident will tarnish the name of Sunderland. Hopefully, it will all be forgotten after next weekend's game."
Michael Martin of Newcastle fanzine True Faith added: "It's hard to say whether anything could make the atmosphere more poisonous than it already is at derby games but this certainly doesn't help.
Abused
"Everyone likes rivalry between the two clubs but when it comes to players being attacked or abused that's beyond the pale."
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said last night that he was unaware of the incident, but said fans are always asked to behave responsibly.
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