Uefa have fined Derry City €20,000 and a one game partial closure of the north stand following the crowd disturbances at the recent Europa League first qualifying round fixture with CSKA Sofia at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
CSKA have been fined €50,000 for fans’ Nazi salutes and violent conduct and hit with a ban on ticket sales, prohibiting the Bulgarian club selling tickets for one away game for “throwing of objects, acts of damage and crowd disturbances with a further one-game ban on ticket sales suspended for two years of probation.
A CSKA official was also fined 5,000 euros for “violating the basic rules of decent conduct” and the club must pay Derry City for damage to the stadium
Derry City confirmed the sanction today with the stand closure for one home UEFA club game suspended for a probationary period of two years.
In a statement the club confirmed they complained to UEFA about the behaviour of the Sofia fans but also admitted Derry fans had a part in the events on the evening of the 16th July. Derry have accepted the punishment while an investigation is underway to identify those involved.
“While Derry City FC complained to UEFA about the aggressive and intimidatory behaviour of the CSKA Sofia supporters, the club accepted that its own supporters had thrown objects onto the field of play and that one of its supporters had entered the field of play and approached the CSKA goalkeeper, before being returned to the stand by security personnel.
Derry City FC fully accepts the decision of the UEFA Appeals Body. Derry City FC is committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that home matches are played in an environment that is safe for players and supporters alike.
An investigation is underway to identify those supporters of Derry City FC who were involved in these incidents and who ultimately caused the club to incur this fine.
Once identified, the Club will take appropriate steps to sanction these supporters, including the possibility of a lifetime ban from the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
Separately, CSKA Sofia has apologised to Derry City FC for the damage caused to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium by its supporters. CSKA Sofia has agreed to cover the cost of remediating this damage and Derry City FC is liaising with CSKA Sofia on this issue.”
