This is the moment YouTuber Stephen Howson threw punches and a headbutt as he escalated a Sunday League brawl over the weekend.
Howson, who works closely with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE YouTube channel, is seen in footage managing his Stretford Paddock FC team.
Playing away in Liverpool, Howson took issue with a series of what he felt were dangerous ‘two-footed’ challenges which had gone unpunished.
He stepped onto the park pitch to shout at the referee, before a brawl broke out when he was approached by one of the home players.
Footage uploaded to Howson’s Patreon page before it was shared widely on X, gaining more than one million views, shows Howson flicking his head back after an alleged headbutt, before throwing punches and a headbutt of his own.
YouTube presenter Stephen Howson (front) was involved in a brawl at a Sunday League match
Howson was seen dishing out punches and a headbutt on the pitch as tempers flared
The footage quickly gained traction on social media, before Howson explained what occured
The presenter, who works closely with Rio Ferdinand, was left with a black eye on the left side
Joey Barton, who has clashed on social media with Howson in the past, was among those to chime in.
‘Calm down big fella,’ he wrote.
‘This you scrapping at the Sunday Footy @MrStephenHowson ? You big sausage. No wonder his MMA career was over after 1 scrap… @rioferdy5’
Howson was left with a bruising black eye on his left side having ‘caught one’, as he termed it.
In a bid to explain what happened and dispel what he called ‘fantasy’ versions of the brawl by some of the home players, Howson explained how things escalated to his 256,000 YouTube subscribers.
‘One of the opposition players tells me to get off the pitch and then headbutts me which is hilarious because they’ve all been in my social media today with just fantasy versions of what happened,’ he said.
Joey Barton, who previously clashed with Howson online, was quick to comment on the video
Howson (middle right) routinely appears alongside former United defender Rio Ferdinand
‘I know that everything we do is recorded so I’ve got no qualms telling you what happened because I know what happened, I’ve rewatched what happened and I’ve actually shared the full ‘Here’s What Happened’ on Patreon.
‘I will always protect myself and my players despite what little Scouse bells on social media want to say. I caught one… but we won the game 2-0. Up the f***ing Reds.’
He added: ‘Yesterday there was probably four or five two-footed challenges in the first 20 minutes of our game.
‘I stepped on to the pitch about a foot to shout at the referee, which again is not ideal, is it? But protecting my players is my number one thought in that sort of circumstance.’
This is the not the first time Howson has hit the headlines.
Barton targeted Ferdinand’s podcast co-presenter after sharing a series of misogynistic posts on social media recently.
The former Man City midfielder floated the idea that ‘women shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game’.
He immediately came under scrutiny from a number of prominent figures within the sport, including Ferdinand’s YouTube wing-man Howson.
He dispelled ‘fantasy’ versions from opposition and said he had a duty to protect his players
Howson, who is a regular feature on Ferdinand’s ‘Vibe with Five’, was one of those to comment on Barton’s rants, before the former Newcastle midfielder fired back.
Barton wrote: ‘In response to the latest ‘Vibe With Five’ on @YouTube. @rioferdy5 and @fara_williams47 look forward to the discussion. Much respect for both.
‘Who is that big spud head? Putting himself in the Tyldesley category? What’s he talking about? The big potato. The Big Spud.’
After further posts from Barton, Howson took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: ‘I’ve been to war, 3 times, played academy level Rugby League, fought MMA but couldn’t play Xi a side football?
‘Okay… Honestly. It’s amazing you can’t find a job on telly with insight like this.’
Then, on Thursday morning, Barton fired back with a brutal response. He said: ‘Stephen. Big Potato. @MrStephenHowson What this all about…?
‘@rioferdy5 surely you can’t be hanging about with clowns like this? Making a mockery of @ManUtd most’s awful air disaster to insult a former CEO.
‘Clueless, Jersey Royal Headed buffoon’.
Accompanying the post was a link to Mail Sport’s report on how the podcaster apologised for on-air rant claiming Ed Woodward’s Old Trafford reign ‘was worse’ for the club than the Munich air disaster.
Howson said that the 50-year-old’s decisions have set United back further than the ‘Busby Babes’ crash – before looking to clarify the intention behind his words after facing a backlash.
‘I think where United are at the moment, f*** it I’m gonna say it on camera,’ he said. ‘I think Woodward was worse for us than Munich.
‘Obviously I’m not comparing people passing away, but I’m saying 10 years post-Munich we was European champions. Ten years of Woodward, we’re in the s***.
Barton recently voiced his thoughts on Ferdinand’s co-presenter following an online row
Podcaster Howson was previously criticised for remarks on the Munich Air Disaster tragedy
‘I’m absolutely not taking anything away from the people who have lost their lives in Munich, but in terms of something that’s f***ing happened, Woodward has been f***ing worse for the football club and where we’ve progressed in that time.’
A clip from Howson’s full remarks was shared on social media, leading to him apologising and admitting he should have better conveyed what he meant.
Initially responding to the anger, he said: ‘I can apologise on the delivery, for sure – but this wasn’t a scripted point – never is. It’s a podcast.
‘It was 40-odd mins into a chat. I clarified at the time what I meant. Most people have understood. But Twitter will look for outrage like it always does.’
But later on, sharing the video from the episode, he tweeted: ‘I definitely should have worded this better & apologise for any offence I’ve caused.’