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Derry City given suspended partial stadium closure
Derry City have been handed a suspended partial closure of their Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium by UEFA, following crowd trouble before and during their Europa League tie against CSKA Sofia on 16 July. The disorder, which required a police response and forced fans, including young children, onto the pitch to escape confrontations in the stands, halted the match for 14 minutes as the Candystripes went on to lose 2-1 and exit the competition. The sanction underlines UEFA's concern over supporter safety at the venue, though the punishment will only take effect if further incidents occur.
The stadium closure is suspended for a two-year probationary period, and Derry City have also been fined 20,000 euro (£17,000). CSKA Sofia face a one-match away-fan ban for their next European fixture, with an additional one-game sanction suspended for two years, alongside fines totalling 55,000 euro (£47,000) and an order to settle damage costs with Derry City. Both clubs have accepted their punishments, with Derry investigating its own supporters and CSKA Sofia apologising and agreeing to cover repair costs, as Derry prepare to face HNK Rijeka in the Conference League on Thursday.
In short
- UEFA suspends partial Brandywell closure over Europa League crowd trouble
- Derry City fined £17,000; CSKA Sofia fined £47,000 and face away-fan ban
- Both clubs accept sanctions; Derry face Rijeka in Conference League next
Explained simply
Derry City are a football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. On 16 July, serious crowd trouble broke out during their match against Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia in the Europa League, a European club competition, at their home stadium. Police were called to respond to disorder in the stands that forced spectators, including young children, to flee onto the pitch to escape the violence.
The disruption halted the match for 14 minutes, and Derry subsequently lost 2-1 and were eliminated from the competition. UEFA, the governing body for European club football, treats such incidents very seriously because of the dangers they pose to supporter safety. The incident led UEFA to issue sanctions to both clubs involved.
Under UEFA regulations, stadiums can face partial closures as a punishment for crowd violence. In Derry's case, the punishment has been suspended for two years, meaning the closure will only be implemented if further trouble occurs during that period. The suspended sanction is intended to encourage the club to improve its safety measures whilst providing an opportunity to demonstrate that the issues have been resolved.