Everton: What punishment will UEFA hand out?

After the ugly scenes at Goodison Park on Thursday night, Everton anxiously wait to find out if they will be punished by UEFA.

Thursday night had a distinctly 1980s feel for Everton fans. A packed Goodison Park was a reminder of when the Blues were dominating Europe, on their way to winning the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Unfortunately for Evertonians, events during the 2-0 win over Hajduk Split mean the trip down memory lane wasn’t entirely positive. Thanks to the actions of visiting fans, we were also reminded of one of the darkest periods in English football history.

Trouble was already brewing, during the first half of the Europa League first leg playoff tie. However, when Michael Keane gave the Blues the lead, things really kicked off.

Hajduk’s followers starting surging towards the home fans, who had the audacity to celebrate their team leading 1-0. It became really scary, as “fans” kicked over advertising boards, ripped out seats and threw them towards the home support.

Missiles were also launched, as away fans started to spill onto the pitch. As a result, the referee was forced to suspend play in the 33rd minute, causing a delay of around four minutes.

Fortunately, the actions of the police and stewards managed to get matters under control again, so play could be continued. However, the incident will still be heavily scrutinised by UEFA.

The question is, what punishment will UEFA decide to hand out? More specifically, will Everton receive any punishment for the events which took place at Goodison Park?

Certainly, there will be some concern for the Blues, after UEFA announced sanctions on Friday, for incidents which recently took place in Europe. Aberdeen, Apollon Limassol and Legia Warsaw were all fined, as a result of crowd trouble.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Legia Warsaw received the biggest fine, of around £31,000. This was due to an ‘illicit banner’ and having stairways blocked at their home Champions League qualification tie, earlier this month.

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Meanwhile, as per a report from BBC Sport, Aberdeen were fined £9,000, for crowd trouble and a lack of stewarding for their Europa League qualification tie in Cyrus. The home side were fined £25,000, due to the behaviour of their players and fans.

With all this information in mind, common sense would seem to indicate Everton will not be punished. It was only the away fans who caused trouble, while everyone working at the game did everything possible, to calm the situation down as quickly as possible.

Of course, there is the possibility UEFA will not take a common sense approach to the situation. (It’s been known to happen once or twice before…) From their perspective, they may believe Everton should not have let the incident escalate to a position, where play had to be stopped.

Worst case scenario, the Blues will get an (in our humble opinion) undeserved fine. Regardless, one thing we do know, is it’s probably a sensible idea if Toffees fans don’t travel to Croatia next week, for the second leg.

Next: Player ratings vs. Hajduk Split

Where you at Goodison Park on Thursday night? Regardless, what did you make of the crowd trouble? Do you think the Blues will be punished? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.