Ottawa Fury FC forward Oliver Minatel was reportedly attacked Friday on an Air Canada Jazz flight from Toronto to Atlanta, where the team is scheduled to play a match Saturday night.
According to news reports that were confirmed by the team, another passenger jumped on Minatel and attempted to choke him with a headphones cord. The 22-year-old Minatel, a native of Brazil and Fury FC’s leading scorer last season with seven goals in 22 games, was unhurt in the incident.
“He just jumped on me,” Minatel told CNN reporter Paula Newton, who was also on the plane and recorded the aftermath of the incident.
Fury FC, a NASL team, said in a statement that the attack was unprovoked and that it is under investigation by US law enforcement.
“We're very thankful to everyone who came to the aid of Oliver and relieved that he's OK and ready to play in our game against the Silverbacks in Atlanta tomorrow evening," Fury FC head coach Marc Dos Santos said in a team statement. "I and others on the flight have made statements to the proper authorities, and I'd like to leave further comment on the matter to them while we prepare for the game."
The incident reportedly occurred approximately 10 minutes before the plane began its decent into Atlanta. Dos Santos told CBC News that another passenger quickly intervened to stop the attack.
“It wasn't a fun moment,” Dos Santos told CBC, “… and I think some of our guys are in shock, but now everything's back to order.
"It was a little bit of a scary moment,” he added. “We'll eat well tonight, we'll try to sleep well, and tomorrow we have a game to play, and hopefully everything's going to go well."
