Amar Dedic & Matthias Jaissle break silence on bow & arrow drama as Newcastle United draw v Fulham
Fulham 1-1 Newcastle United: Amar Dedic kept his bow and arrows away from Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
Amar Dedic capped off an eventful week off the pitch with a positive performance on it as Newcastle United drew 1-1 at Fulham.
The 24-year-old found himself targeted by Northumbria Police after a concerned member of the public spotted him and a friend carrying a bow and arrows in the Northumberland countryside on Wednesday afternoon.
Fortunately for Newcastle, that didn’t impact his performance on the pitch as he put in a solid 90-minute display at right-back at Craven Cottage.
But the £30million summer signing clearly saw the funny side of his run-in with the law as he took to Instagram following the match. He posted a series of photos of himself in action in the match before adding an AI image of himself holding a bow and arrow in ‘Robin Hood’ attire.
“Thank you nufc fans for your big support,” he wrote. “We keep going together🖤🤍 And if you didn't know, now you know🤣”
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The bow and arrow incident also captured the imagination of travelling Newcastle supporters as they chanted during the match: “He's Dedic, you know, he's class with a bow and arrow.”
Matthias Jaissle breaks silence on Amar Dedic situation
After the match, Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle was asked about the ‘unusual situation’ surrounding Dedic in the build-up to the match and how he was available to play at Fulham.
But the German was keen to play things down.
“He played well, right?” Jaissle said. “So I think it didn't affect him. We talked about it, he was not aware about these rules, but I think we don't need to make a bigger topic out of it.”
Northumbria Police statement
Northumbria Police have released a statement that Dedic’s seized bow and arrows were suspected to be for ‘recreational use’ and of no threat to the public following an investigation.
"Shortly after 1.55pm (on Wednesday), we received a report of two men carrying a bow and arrows while walking along a track by the reservoir on Military Road in the Harlow Hill area," a Northumbria Police spokesperson said.
"Officers attended and subsequently stopped a vehicle in the Darras Hall area and seized a bow and arrows.
"At this stage, it is understood they were for recreational use and there was no threat to the public. Inquiries are ongoing."