Aberdeen's Jack MacKenzie injured after being struck by seat thrown by own support

Aberdeen player Jack MacKenzie has been left injured after being struck by a seat thrown from the away end during his side’s 2-1 defeat at Tannadice.

The defender had to be treated by medical staff following the incident on Sunday.

Reacting to the incident, an SPFL spokesperson said: “It’s enormously disappointing and frustrating that one of the most exciting games in the season has been marred by such moronic behaviour.

“We await the match delegate report but will work closely with both clubs and Police Scotland to help identify the perpetrator and fully expect that appropriately severe footballing and judicial sanctions will be imposed.”

Police Scotland are investigating and officers have issued an appeal for information.

A statement from the force said: “We are appealing for information after an object was thrown onto the pitch injuring a player during the Dundee United v Aberdeen match at Tannadice on Saturday, 17 May, 2025.

“Part of a chair was thrown from the upper deck of the Fair Play stand striking an Aberdeen player. He received treatment at the scene and will require further medical assessment.

“Officers are appealing for anyone who saw what happened or has mobile phone footage of the incident to contact police.

“Match Commander, Superintendent Ray Birnie, said: “This was a mindless act which has seriously injured the player resulting in him needing medical treatment.
“This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and I’d appeal to all fans to help us trace the person responsible.

“If you were in the Fair Play stand and witnessed what happened, please do the right thing and come forward. I’d also urge anyone who has mobile phone footage to review it and bring anything of importance to our attention.”.

Jimmy Thelin described the incident as “totally unacceptable.”

He said: “What’s happened is totally unacceptable. It is actually a bad injury but Jack is OK so let’s see how it feels after more minutes.

“It is not acceptable, it is really really bad. I haven’t seen exactly what happened but our player got hurt, bad. I think everyone understands that is not OK.

“He got treatment already and the medical team did really well. There is the shock also when this happens.

“You are a football player in a football game and get hit like that. We just take care of the player now and take it from there.”

United boss Jim Goodwin, who was pelted with missiles from Dons fans when they visited in December, was equally condemnatory.

The former Aberdeen manager said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. I’m gutted for Jack MacKenzie, who’s a terrific young player, and for him to be hit and seriously damaged by an object thrown by his own supporters, it’s crazy. And it’s not the first time.

“I’ve had a number of objects thrown at me throughout the season by the Aberdeen supporters and nothing has been done about it.

“So maybe it’ll take a serious incident like this to happen in order for the authorities to really step in, take notice and punish those guys and ban them from football for life.”

Fraser Wishart, PFA Scotland chief executive, witnessed the scenes at the end of the game in his media role.

He said: “Jack MacKenzie is one of the PFA Scotland management committee so he was at a meeting the other day. So when you see him being wheeled off you are obviously pretty concerned.

“I have been warning for a long time that something like this would happen if we don’t stop it. I don’t get the mentality of anyone who would throw an object of any kind at a player.

“It is like Groundhog Day and I have always said if someone was to get hurt we are into a different domain. A player in this case is possibly going to come to us and then we are going to say what are we going to do.

“It is difficult for the authorities and the clubs, I get all of that but we are denying there is an issue here. I think over the whole season we have seen incidents and our members endangered on the field of play and this one is after the game as well.

“So something has to be done. There has to be conversations between the governing bodies, the clubs, ourselves, the managers and coaching associations to try and find a way out of this as it can’t go on. These incidents are on the rise.”

It came after Aberdeen dropped to fifth in the Premiership in the final day of the season.

Dundee United clinched a European place after leapfrogging Jimmy Thelin’s men into fourth place with a comeback win.

Danish attacker Jeppe Okkels scored his first goal for the Dons since signing on loan from Preston in January after 15 minutes with the visitors controlling the game.

United gradually came back into it and in the 56th minute defender Declan Gallagher levelled with a header from a Glenn Middleton corner.

Striker Sam Dalby put United ahead with a penalty in the 62nd minute and when the dust settled on the final day of top-six fixtures – and there was an unseemly pitch invasion by home fans at the final whistle – Jim Goodwin’s men, back in the top flight this season, finished fourth which brings a potential Europe League qualifying place.

Aberdeen are able to swipe it back if they win the Scottish Cup against Celtic next week, albeit the champions failing at the last hurdle of another domestic treble is a long-odds prospect.

St Mirren fought out a commendable 1-1 draw with Celtic at Parkhead but that was not enough to prevent them finishing sixth.

Both sides went into the game struggling for form.

The Taysiders had suffered four successive post-split defeats while Aberdeen had lost their last three games, including a 5-1 thrashing at Celtic.

Jimmy Thelin’s side, though, had secured European football before the game and they had the first real effort on goal in the seventh minute with United keeper Dave Richards turning a 20-yard drive from Pape Gueye past the post.

As the Dons kept the home side penned inside the box from the corner, midfielder Jamie McGrath smacked the bar with a shot but United survived the subsequent scramble.

But Aberdeen soon went ahead when midfielder Leighton Clarkson sent captain Graeme Shinnie racing down the left with his cross initially defended by Richards and Gallagher close to the goalline.

Alexander Jensen picked up the loose ball, however, and cut it back for Okkels to lift the ball high into the net from 10 yards.

The lacklustre visitors gradually worked their way back and in the 39th minute Aberdeen keeper Dimitar Mitov made a decent save from Sam Cleall-Harding’s drive from distance, before Vicko Sevelj’s cross was headed just past the post by Dalby.

Within minutes of the restart United’s Kristijan Trapanovski headed a cross from Will Ferry into the ground and over the bar from six yards.

At the other end, Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet took an incisive pass from Clarkson and with time and space curled a shot over the bar when he ought to have at least hit the target.

The home side stepped it up and forced a series of corners and eventually Gallagher leapt inside a packed six-yard box to head in.

Then referee John Beaton pointed to the spot when Ryan Strain was fouled in the box by Okkels amid heavy Terrors’ pressure and Dalby sent Mitov the wrong way with his spot-kick.

The momentum of the game had swung completely and Mitov, after a poor kick to Dalby, had to block an effort from substitute Louis Moult.