ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP:BIRMINGHAM CITY will need to prove to the Football Association they did everything in their power to prevent the ugly scenes that marred the League Cup quarter-final tie against Aston Villa to stave of the possibility of a six-figure fine.
As part of its investigation into the trouble that flared after Wednesday night’s final whistle, the FA was yesterday starting the process of gathering evidence, including reports from its crowd control advisers who witnessed the pitch invasion that led to more than a thousand Birmingham supporters spilling on to the field.
As police struggled to restore order, Birmingham and Villa fans tossed a flare back and forth and dozens of seats were ripped out and used as missiles. The FA will ask Birmingham for their observations in writing and the onus will be on the club to show they took the necessary precautions beforehand – in particular in terms of the stewarding and policing inside the stadium – to minimise the risk of problems at the match. It is anticipated that the investigation process will go on well into next year and it is highly unlikely that it will have come to an end by the time the two clubs meet again at St Andrew’s in the Premier League, on January 16th.
Although the potential sanctions available to the FA include ground closure, there is no suggestion that Birmingham could be ordered to play a game behind closed doors. Instead any punishment would almost certainly be monetary and similar to the €135,658 West Ham United were fined after being found guilty of two charges relating to crowd disturbances on the night of their League Cup tie against Millwall last season. Villa could also be charged in relation to the conduct of their supporters.
Senior Birmingham staff met at St Andrew’s yesterday morning to discuss the scenes that overshadowed the club’s 2-1 win over Villa. A further meeting will take place next week involving Birmingham officials, West Midlands police and representatives from Aston Villa, as all parties seek to gain a better understanding of the events at the end of the game. Birmingham are working closely with police to identify those responsible for the trouble and have vowed to take “stringent action” against anyone found guilty of any disorder.
West Midlands police, who are continuing to go through CCTV footage, have released the four men and a 16-year-old boy who were arrested in connection with the violence. Birmingham, meanwhile, are hopeful that the seats and the toilet facilities that were damaged in the visiting end during the Villa match will be repaired in time for Tottenham Hotspur’s visit tomorrow.
Roy Keane dedicated Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final victory over West Brom to Ipswich’s fans. The former Manchester United midfielder has endured a difficult relationship with Town supporters following a dire run of form which saw them slip to 16th in the Championship following Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to East Anglia rivals Norwich.
However, Keane’s battling team secured their semi-final place against Premier League title challengers Arsenal in January through a second-half penalty from Grant Leadbitter.
Only some 11,300 turned out on a freezing night in Suffolk, and Keane – who had accepted in his programme notes “there is no hiding place for a manager” – was glad to send them all away with a warm glow. “I am more pleased for other people, it is all about the players and the supporters,” Keane said. “It is not about my feelings because a manager’s career will be up or down – we have let the supporters down and we have given them something to shout about.”
- Guardian Service
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