UEFA has fined the Russian Football Union €120,000 for fans’ misbehavior during Euro 2012 starter against the Czech Republic, and hit the federation with a suspended six-point deduction, which would be triggered in the event of any further trouble.
“This decision is suspended for a probationary period running from now until the end of the playoffs of the next UEFA European Football Championship,” UEFA explained in a statement.
Russian fans were filmed fighting with stadium staff in Wroclaw after a 4-1 win over the Czechs last Friday. Police said the violence was sparked after stewards tried to detain a man they believed had thrown a flare. Four stewards were taken to a hospital but were not seriously injured.
Illicit banners depicting black, yellow and white Russian Empire flags were yet another issue discussed by UEFA's disciplinary panel on Wednesday. An anti-discrimination monitoring group claims the flags are often adopted by far-right activists.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s major unrest in the Polish capital was left unpunished. Dozens of Russian fans were involved in violent clashes, largely provoked by Poles, in Warsaw before and after the match against the co-hosts. UEFA cannot sanction federations for incidents that occur away from stadiums.
The Russian Football Union has three days to prepare and file an appeal.
Comments (16)
WOOF! (unregistered) 14.06.2012 13:27
Undo
Fred (unregistered) 14.06.2012 12:31
Undo
Eurasian (unregistered) 14.06.2012 09:21
Undo
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