Italian leaders ejected

Fiorentina, one of the tournament favourites, were yesterday kicked out of the UEFA Cup after an emergency meeting of European football's governing body in Geneva.

The Italian club was last night considering an appeal against the expulsion, imposed after last Tuesday's second-round second leg with Grasshopper Zurich was abandoned at half time because the game's fourth official, Philippe Flament of Belgium, was injured by a firecracker thrown from the crowd which left a hole in the pitch. He was taken to hospital with a knee injury and bruising.

"Fiorentina AC have been excluded from the 1998-99 UEFA Cup," said a statement after the control and disciplinary committee considered the case.

EFA later confirmed that Fiorentina have the right of appeal. But if the punishment stands, the Swiss club will go through to the third round where they will play Bordeaux, with the first leg on November 24th.

Fiorentina's return leg with Grasshopper was played at the southern Italian venue of Salerno because the club was serving a UEFA-imposed two-game European ban from their own Artemio Franchi stadium after a violent incident there in a Cup Winners' Cup game last year.

Fiorentina argued that the incident was the work of supporters of the local club Salernitana, claiming those fans had been angered by a recent defeat by the northern Italian team and that this was a revenge act.