Football star & avid MMA fan Oli McBurnie ‘filmed punching & kicking man while destroying his phone’

Sheffield United and Scotland football star Oli McBurnie has allegedly been captured on camera punching and kicking a man before stamping on his phone, with his soon-to-be relegated club already looking into the matter.

The controversial footage caught on a camera phone starts with someone calling the player's name.

Then, a man who is allegedly the 24-year-old Scotland player, approaches while the mobile tumbles to the ground but remains recording.

McBurnie appears to then stamp on the device, and attacks the man with the clip seemingly showing him kneeing and punching the person that initially shouted out "Oli McBurnie".

The fight continues out of the camera's shot, but a voice is heard telling other people of the group, "Take your boy away now."

In a statement on Monday, his club Sheffield United confirmed that the were "aware of the video circulating on social media and are currently investigating".

This is not the first time that the striker, who is a self-proclaimed admirer of the UFC and Jorge Masvidal, has been in trouble for allegedly misbehaving.

Last summer he was hit with a $40,000 fine for drink driving and banned from getting behind the wheel for 16 months.

Earlier in 2020, he received a warning for his conduct by English football's governing body, the FA, for his conduct when pictured making obscene gestures towards fans of Cardiff City while sitting with Swansea supporters for a South Wales derby clash. 

Defending him at the time was Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who called the furor a "disgrace". 

"This lad has done the most normal thing I've seen from a footballer for a long time," Neville wrote on Twitter.

"He goes to support his team and is pictured, filmed and ends up with this." 

Then manager Chris Wilder, who was fired during the current campaign, also rushed to protect his charge.

Though in advice McBurnie evidently hasn't heeded, he told the youngster to stay out of the camera's view. 

"We received a letter from the FA talking about Oli's future conduct, which is quite right," Wilder confirmed.

"He didn't really go [to the game] in camouflage disguise. I'll not mention the make of the jacket he had on, people have already spoken about it," he said, in reference to the Stone Island garment McBurnie wore that is usually associated with hooliganism in British football culture.

"We reminded him that he has a responsibility," Wilder confirmed.

"He's a footballer and with social media and cameras everywhere you can't get involved. He must represent himself, more than anything, a touch better and he understands that."

"I think you're always on camera now," Wilder stated.

"[With] the coverage the Premier League gets, it exposes everybody and it goes into everyone's front room and we have a standard to set. I'm just so glad there weren't cameras about when I was playing football!"

"But I can relate," said Wilder.

"There was a time when I was a player at other clubs, and when I was a manager at other clubs, that I would rush back to Sheffield to go and watch United, or away from home," he concluded.

As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen whether McBurnie - who is yet to score in 16 appearances for his national team - has now jeopardized his chances of representing Scotland at the upcoming Euro 2020 competition.

Kick off their campaign almost a month from now with a meeting against the Czech Republic on June 14 in Glasgow, they will also face bitter rivals England at Wembley before heading home to host Croatia in Group D.