Jump directly to the content

ASHLEY COLE and his LA Galaxy team-mates have come under scrutiny for seriously injuring a helpless pigeon during their pre-match warm-up.

The video appears to show a group of Galaxy players knocking the ball to each other with a bird casually walking through the middle.

Ashley Cole holds his head in his hands after pigeon went down
5
Ashley Cole holds his head in his hands after pigeon went down
LA Galaxy stars look on after hitting pigeon
5
LA Galaxy stars look on after hitting pigeon
A fan screamed "they killed him" from the stands after incident
5
A fan screamed "they killed him" from the stands after incident

But former Chelsea left-back Cole gets closer to the pigeon before his team-mate hit the pitch invader with a pass aimed at the 35-year-old.

The players then put their hands on their heads as someone filming the incident shouts "they killed him!"

According to LA Galaxy insider journalist Adam Serrano, player Jelle Van Damme helped the pigeon off the pitch and into the locker room to receive treatment.

It is unaware whether the pigeon survived its horrific ordeal but it turned out to be a bad omen for the away side who lost 1-0 to rivals New York thanks to a goal from former Barcelona striker David Villa.

 

Ashley Cole signed for LA Galaxy in January
5
Ashley Cole signed for LA Galaxy in JanuaryCredit: Getty Images
David Villa scored the only goal of the game to win it for New York City
5
David Villa scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over LA GalaxyCredit: Usa Today Sports

It was also the first time that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have come up against each other since they both left the Premier League.

Italy legend Andrea Pirlo also featured for New York City.

Topics