• Any further incidents will see Russia disqualified from tournament
Russia have been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 over crowd disturbances at the game against England in Marseille on Saturday, Uefa has announced.
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| A Russia supporter clashes with an England fan in the stands after the 1-1 draw between their teams at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. |
Charges from the governing body to the Russian Football Union relate to “crowd disturbances, use of fireworks and racist behaviour” around the 1-1 draw with England at the Stade Vélodrome on Saturday.
Uefa’s control, ethics and disciplinary body met in Paris to consider the case and imposed the suspended disqualification and a €150,000 financial penalty. However, any further incidents of crowd disturbance inside grounds at Russia’s matches during the European Championship will see the suspension lifted and the country thrown out of Euro 2016.
The sanctions were outlined in a statement by the independent control, ethics and disciplinary body, in which it confirmed: “A suspended disqualification of the Russian national team from Uefa Euro 2016 for the crowd disturbances. In accordance with Article 20 of the Uefa disciplinary regulations this disqualification is suspended until the end of the tournament.
“Such suspension will be lifted if incidents of a similar nature (crowd disturbances) happen inside the stadium at any of the remaining matches of the Russian team during the tournament.”
The decision only relates to incidents which occurred inside the stadium and are therefore under the jurisdiction of the Uefa disciplinary bodies. The decision is open to appeal.
Prior to Uefa’s announcement, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said: “Violations of the law have been committed by fans from various nations, who have gone on rampages in Marseille and some other places. It’s absolutely unacceptable, and we certainly expect our citizens to respect the country’s laws. Regrettably, fans from various nations have taken part in those rampages, regrettably including Russia.”
Following the violent scenes in Marseille, England were also warned by Uefa that they could be thrown out of the tournament, and midfielder Adam Lallana said such an exit would be “devastating”.
He said: “Our message is for everyone to be safe and sensible. By all means enjoy the match, but be respectful that we are out there. I’ve got friends and family coming to the game … it’s a big game and I’ve got to focus on my job and hopefully everyone can do their job off the field.”
Earlier on Tuesday, French authorities began the process of deporting Russian fans from the country, having identified 29 people who were involved in the clashes in France. Police stopped a bus in the town of Mandelieu near Cannes, who were on their way to Lille.
If Russia were to be disqualified from the tournament, an emergency panel would convene to decide what would happen to the team’s results in the tournament. Article 27 of Uefa’s Euro 2016 regulations states: “If an association is disqualified during the competition, the results of all of its matches are declared null and void, and the points awarded forfeited.” While that would cover matters within Group B, there is no specific guidance in the regulations as to what would happen regarding the qualification process for the four best third-placed teams, whereby teams are assessed on the basis of the points they have accrued.
guardian
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