The moment Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel host Stephen Howson throws punches and a headbutt as he sparks a Sunday League football brawl, which left him with a nasty black eye

This is the moment YouTuber Stephen Howson punched and headbutted as he escalated a Sunday League brawl this weekend.

Howson, who works closely with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE YouTube channel, can be seen in footage managing his Stretford Paddock FC team.

Playing for Liverpool, Howson made a series of what he believed to be dangerous ‘two-footed’ challenges that went 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 headbutts.

Joey Barton, who has clashed with Howson on social media in the past, was among those who came forward.

“Calm down, big guy,” he wrote.

‘You snuck this on the Sunday Footy @MrStephenHowson? You big sausage. No wonder his MMA career was over after 1 scrap… @rioferdy5’

Howson was left with a black eye on his left side after “catching one,” as he put it.

In an attempt to explain what happened and dispel what he called “fantasy versions” of the brawl by some home players, Howson explained how things escalated to his 256,000 YouTube subscribers.

“One of the opposition players tells me to leave the field and then headbutts me, which is hilarious because they’ve all appeared on my social media today with nothing but fantasy versions of what happened,” he said.

“I know everything we do is being recorded so I have no qualms about telling you what happened because I know what happened, I’ve rewatched what happened and I have the full ‘Here’s What Happened’ shared on Patreon.

‘I will always protect myself and my players, despite what Scouse callers on social media may say. I caught one… but we won the game 2-0. On to the bloody Reds.’

He added: “Yesterday there were probably four or five two-footed challenges in the first 20 minutes of our match.

‘I stepped about a foot onto the pitch to shout at the referee, which isn’t ideal, is it? But protecting my players is my first thought in those circumstances.”

This isn’t the first time Howson has made headlines.

Barton took aim at the co-host of Ferdinand’s podcast after he recently shared a series of misogynistic posts on social media.

The former Man City midfielder put forward the idea that ‘women should not speak with any form 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 wingman Howson.

Howson, who regularly appears on Ferdinand’s ‘Vibe with Five’, was among 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 to both.

‘Who is that big spudkop? Put yourself in the Tyldesley category? What is he on about? The big potato. The Great Spud.’

Following further messages from Barton, Howson told

“Okay…Honestly. It’s amazing that you can’t get a job in television with this understanding.”

Then, on Thursday morning, Barton fired back with a brutal response. He said, ‘Stefan. Big Potato. @MrStephenHowson What is this all about…?

‘@rioferdy5, you can’t hang around with clowns like that, can you? Making a mockery of @ManUtd Most’s terrible air disaster to insult a former CEO.

‘No idea, Jersey Royal Headed buffoon’.

The post included a link to Mail Sport’s report on how the podcaster apologized for his rant claiming Ed Woodward’s reign at Old Trafford was ‘worse’ for the club than the Munich air disaster.

Howson said the 50-year-old’s decisions have set United back further than the ‘Busby Babes’ crash, before seeking to clarify the intention behind his words after facing a backlash.

“I think where United are at the moment, fuck it, I’m going to say it on camera,” he said. ‘I think Woodward was worse for us than Munich.

‘Obviously I don’t compare people who die, but I do say that ten years after Munich we were European champions. Ten years of Woodward, we’re in the s***.

“I’m taking absolutely nothing away from the people who lost their lives in Munich, but in terms of anything that bloody happened, Woodward has been bloody worse for the football club and where we’ve progressed in that time.”

An excerpt of Howson’s full comments was shared on social media, leading to him apologizing and admitting he should have conveyed what he meant better.

He initially responded to the anger, saying, “I can certainly apologize for the delivery – but this wasn’t a scripted point – it never is. It’s a podcast.

‘The conversation lasted about forty minutes. I made it clear at the time what I meant. Most people got it. But Twitter will, as always, look for outrage.”

But later, sharing video from the episode, he tweeted: “I definitely should have worded this better and apologized for the offense I caused.”