Fury FC's flight to Atlanta took a scary turn Saturday when midfielder Oliver was attacked in his seat by another passenger.

The drama unfolded as the club traveled from Toronto to Atlanta for Saturday's game against the Silverbacks. A man sitting in the seats behind the Brazilian forward suddenly reached around and wrapped a cord around his neck. A passenger near the man, who had apparently been making some disturbing comments during the flight, intervened quickly and so did Oliver's teammates.

"It happened very fast," Marc Dos Santos told the Sun from Atlanta. "We were in the plane and suddenly a guy tried to choke one of our players. He said we were there to kill him, I don't think he was very good in the head. It wasn't a fun moment."

There are differing reports as to whether the item used was headphone cord or a piece of rope. The man was kept in a seat until the plane landed and Atlanta authorities boarded and arrested him. Dos Santos said the man had been talking to his seat neighbour before the incident, allegedly saying the players "in black" were "paid by someone to kill him."

The players were traveling in their black Fury tracksuits, Dos Santos said.

There were no further incidents during the remaining half hour of the flight, said the coach.

“The guy stayed quiet because there were 20 guys that were able to keep him in his seat,” he said.

Saturday's game will go on as planned, the club confirmed.

“We don't want to think about that, we're moving on,” Dos Santos said. “We're going to have a team meal (Friday) and we'll prepare the game.”​

There was no immediate word on what charges the man would be facing.