Europe’s soccer governing body has ordered Ukraine’s national soccer team to play its next UEFA competition home game behind closed doors and pay €97,000 for racist fan behavior and other offenses, according to an emailed statement by the nation’s football federation on Nov. 27.
In
particular, UEFA fined Ukraine €50,000 for racist fan
behavior during the Oct. 12 Euro 2016 qualifying match with Spain in Kyiv, and €47,000
for the use of “laser device, illicit banners, illicit chants and the blocking
of” stairwells.
Ukraine’s
football federation said that it must pay the fines within 90 days of Nov. 19
when the disciplinary notification was communicated.
Ukraine’s
next UEFA home competitive match isn’t scheduled until 2019 when the main
qualification process begins for the 2020 European soccer championship. Ukraine already qualified for next year’s continental soccer tournament taking place in France for one month starting on June 8, 2016.
According to
UEFA, no fans are allowed to enter stadiums during closed-door fixtures. A
maximum of 75 persons from both the host and away football association delegation,
including the players, may enter the venue. The visiting association is
entitled to purchase “200 top-category tickets for their VIP supporters, sponsors,
etc., but it is not obliged to take the full allocation,” according to UEFA.
“Any other
kind of supporters from the home or visiting team are expressly forbidden,”
UEFA added.
Dynamo Kyiv
also two days ago was disciplined by UEFA for racist attacks on fans during a
Champions League game against Chelsea on Oct. 20 in Kyiv.
It will play
in an empty stadium against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Dec. 9, and once more in either the
Champions League last 16 or Europa League last 32 next year, depending on the
club’s performance against the Israeli club.
UEFA also
fined Dynamo €100,000 for the incident during which four black men were beaten by
Dynamo Kyiv fans. In footage passed to UEFA by anti-discrimination watchdog
Fare, the same group of black men appear to be attacked by other fans as they
try to exit Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
In March, UEFA fined Dynamo €15,000 euros ($17,000) for
racist behavior by fans during a Europa League match against Everton. The club was punished for setting off fireworks and
for insufficient organization during the 5-2 second-leg win on March 19. UEFA
also ordered the partial closure of Olympic Stadium for the first leg of the
quarter-final against Fiorentina.
Kyiv Post editor Mark Rachkevych can
be reached at [email protected].
