ENGLAND’S FA HAVE been fined 5,000 by UEFA after England fans tried to invade the pitch in the Euro 2012 match against Sweden.
The England supporters were found guilty despite pleas from The FA, who claimed that the fans were only celebrating enthusiastically and had not attempted to enter the field of play.
The FA said in a statement: “The FA accepts UEFA’s sanction in relation to the incident versus Sweden, and we consider the matter closed.”
England’s comeback from 2-1 down during the eventual 3-2 victory sparked the passionate celebrations and a surge to the bottom of the stands was interpreted as an attempted pitch invasion. The FA cited a match delegate’s report which declared the behaviour of the fans was ‘satisfactory’ but have still been handed the fine.
Meanwhile, UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) over the behaviour of fans against Spain on Monday. Fireworks thrown on to the pitch, racist banners and logos as well as inappropriate behaviour in the stadium in Gdansk caused the governing body to take action.
As well as the fans, the Croatian players will be investigated for improper conduct after collecting six yellow cards against Vicente del Bosque’s team. All of these disruptions did nothing to help Croatia’s campaign as the defeat confirmed their exit from Euro 2012 having fallen to third place in Group C.
The UEFA Control and Disciplinary body will announce their decision on Sunday.
