Ugly scenes marred Birmingham City's 2-1 League Cup quarter-final victory over local rivals Aston Villa on Wednesday with fans ripping up seats and throwing flares into the crowd after a post-match pitch invasion.
Hundreds of police with helmets and plastic shields ringed the pitch and forced fans back in the melee that erupted with the final whistle at St. Andrews.
"That sours it a bit for us," Birmingham manager Alex McLeish told Sky Sports Television.
"It doesn't look good when you see the fans running on like that and some of the carrying on and interaction between the terraces and the pitch. It takes us back to the Dark Ages."
The Football Association condemned the scenes of disorder that came on the eve of England hearing on Thursday the outcome of their bid to host the 2018 World Cup and opened an investigation.
Television images showed fans ripping up and throwing seats in the stands while others lobbed flares into groups of spectators.
McLeish said he was worried about possible sanctions but played down fears that the violence could have a negative effect on the FIFA decision in Zurich.
"I don't think that will affect the World Cup bid, I'm sure that has already been decided," he said.
Via: Eurosport
No comments:
Post a Comment