New Delhi: UEFA has fined both the Football Association (FA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) after fans booed each other’s national anthems during the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League clash with England on 7 September. The match at Aviva Stadium, which ended in a 2-0 victory for England, saw England fans booing Ireland’s anthem, Amhran na bhFiann, while Irish supporters responded by booing God Save the King.
The FA was fined £10,500 (12,500 euros) due to England fans’ actions, which UEFA deemed a repeat offence. This penalty was higher than the £8,400 (10,000 euros) fine issued to the FAI for Irish fans’ conduct.
The FAI have been hit with a €10,000 fine by UEFA over the booing of the English national anthem, God Save the King against England in September.
The FA have also been fined €12,500 for booing Amhrán na bhFiann.#UEFA pic.twitter.com/AcL8vhBnN2
— All Things ROI (@AllThingsROI) November 5, 2024
In addition, the FAI faced further penalties: £7,800 (9,250 euros) for lighting flares in the stands and £5,000 (6,000 euros) after a pitch invasion by a spectator. The FA also incurred a separate £4,150 (5,000 euros) fine following a similar pitch invasion by an England supporter.
Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin expressed disappointment over the booing but praised the general behaviour of most fans, noting that such displays of disrespect were limited.
The match, which featured former Irish players Jack Grealish and Declan Rice scoring for England, raised concerns about fan behaviour ahead of Ireland’s rematch with England at Wembley on 17 November. Both the FA and FAI will likely be keen to prevent similar incidents from happening again, especially with another high-stakes game on the horizon.
England fans’ repeat offences bring higher penalties, while both sides face fines for crowd disturbances. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
