Uefa to look into Kyiv violence

Lyndon Lloyd , 27 February, 39comments | Jump to most recent

European football's governing body will open an investigation into the crowd disturbances that required the referee to halt play between Everton next's Europa League opponents, Dynamo Kyiv, and Guingamp last night.

Violence erupted in the stands of the NSC Olimpiyskiy stadium after Kyiv fans reportedly tried to confront opposition fans before fighting broke out amongst themselves.

The home team's goalkeeper intervened at one stage to come to the aid of a steward while the match was held up for 15 minutes.

Uefa were expected to open an investigation into the incident today amid calls for Dynamo Kyiv to play their next — and possible all of their remaining — European fixtures behind closed doors.

Everton have advised supporters not to make travel plans until Uefa have made an announcement regarding the Round of 16 second leg in Kiev on March 19th and full ticketing details have been released.

Reader Comments (39)

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Paul Andrews
1 Posted 27/02/2015 at 17:17:43

No plans to go to this one. Gutted we didnÂ’t get a more accessible tie.

Phil Gardner
2 Posted 27/02/2015 at 17:34:57

A Â’byeÂ’?

Jay Wood
3 Posted 27/02/2015 at 17:44:31

Unlikely Phil ... UEFA will want their 20 pieces of silver from TV coverage. Kiev won their tie, so I donÂ’t expect them to be booted and Guingamp reinstated. If any punishment is meted out itÂ’s more likely to be a fine, a warning about their future conduct, that they still host the return leg but behind closed doors, or play on a neutral ground. Or a combination of those penalties.

Do the business at Fortress Goodison (cough!) and the away leg could all be academic.

James Hughes
4 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:00:50

Please Lyndon, Kiev not Kyiv. I can pronounce the former

Lyndon Lloyd
5 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:13:05

You're supposed to pronounce it the same way, though, James, and in that sense I think the Kyiv spelling is more phonetic. Pretty sure the locals roll it out in one syllable, not "Kee-ev".

From what I can glean, one references Kiev, the city, with the Anglicised version but itÂ’s only right to refer to the team by its proper name, Dynamo Kyiv.

Will Jones
6 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:32:49

When I spent some time in Ukraine, the locals preferred Kyiv. I think Kiev originated from the USSR period, and they want to move on from those times

Colin Glassar
7 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:45:40

So what is it then? Chicken Kyiv or chicken Kiev?

Keith Harrison
8 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:48:46

I am starting a campaign to have the game played in a neutral venue, something like Tenerife. Any groundswell of support for this?

Gerry Quinn
9 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:56:15

@ Lyndon #5
Can you tell the American pundits on the TV to call us by our correct name and not EVER-TING !

Mike Gaynes
10 Posted 27/02/2015 at 19:52:12

It would be a disappointment for our traveling fans, but a game behind closed doors would be a nice break for the team... they wouldn't have to experience that cauldron of abuse.

Lyndon Lloyd
11 Posted 27/02/2015 at 20:00:15

How about "Everdin", Gerry? That's a good one.

Mike Childs
12 Posted 27/02/2015 at 20:09:12

EVER-TON here in Worcester MA. I believe a neutral site is inevitable so UEFA gets their share of the gate. Say maybe a match in Ireland so we can fill the stadium.

Mike Childs
13 Posted 27/02/2015 at 20:12:04

I might be wrong but I can't picture the Irish being RS fans.

Colin Glassar
14 Posted 27/02/2015 at 21:00:53

Old Trafford is a neutral venue, right?

David Hallwood
15 Posted 27/02/2015 at 21:08:39

AND...Everton comes up as a spell checker!!

Doug Harris
16 Posted 27/02/2015 at 21:05:41

There is from me Keith (8); they had to play in Cyprus last February so why not here in my adopted home?

Ciaran Duff
17 Posted 27/02/2015 at 22:12:37

My Spanish speaking friends call us Eberton!

Gerry Quinn
18 Posted 27/02/2015 at 22:24:26

One of my neighbour's, a Mexican, calls us EFFERTONN. Love it

Gerry Quinn
19 Posted 27/02/2015 at 22:56:10

Everton's Europa League clash with Dynamo Kiev could be played behind closed doors or in Cyprus because of the Ukrainian club's rioting fans.
Uefa are investigating Kiev after their supporters attacked the Guingamp fans during Thursday's last 32 win in their NSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium, causing the game to be held up for 15 minutes.

Guingamp president Bernard Desplat described the Kiev fans as "rabid dogs" and Uefa could order the game on March 19 to be played behind closed doors or move it to a neutral venue, like Cyprus, when they announce their punishment on Wednesday.

Paul Hewitt
20 Posted 27/02/2015 at 23:06:49

BAN THEM

John Raftery
21 Posted 27/02/2015 at 23:11:23

Playing behind closed doors punishes us as well as the culprits. That would be unfair as was the post-Heysel ban on all English clubs competing in Europe. Playing at a neutral venue is a better option for us but I doubt if UEFA will seriously consider it especially if there are concerns about the behaviour of the Dynamo fans. The logistics of organising a suitable venue, policing and security in less than 3 weeks will all make it seem too difficult.

David Booth
22 Posted 28/02/2015 at 00:21:24

Can you imagine the Europe-wide uproar if any English club's fans had been responsible for the same bout of hooliganism?

Loads of footage on YouTube and it wasn't just a bit of fisticuffs: they ran around the athletics track and caused a major incident.

If they are just allowed to host the game against us after just a punitive fine, or worse still, a 'ticking-off', the English FA have got to stop behaving like pussies and stop this one rule for us and another rule for everyone else.

If we take anything like the support we have taken to Lille, Wolfsburg and Bern, I can't see Evertonians doing a runner like the French did either (for the last 100 years) and then I wonder who Blatter's boys would blame?

Oh... us of course... How silly of me.

Jamie Crowley
23 Posted 28/02/2015 at 03:15:45

Mike Childs -

Off topic... had no idea you were in Taxechusetts.

Woo-stah isn't too far from Boston and if you get the chance you should go to The Banshee in Dorchester. Nice Everton Supporters group there. I visited once and all of them were great guys.

Kristian Boyce
24 Posted 28/02/2015 at 03:41:40

Unfortunately I can't see Uefa doing much on this due to an English team going out there to play. I'm not holding my breathe on any serious action now as the governing body couldn't careless about us. Nothing happened on the Lille incident, and Uefa would be more than happy to charge us on crowd issues if something kicked off out there. At max, I could see a fine but that's it. I bet if it was another team from another country, they'd come down on them hard.

Steven Jones
25 Posted 28/02/2015 at 09:04:21

This thing should be turned on its head.

From what I here there was extreme provocation from the French with respect to Crimea and the Russian invasion.

We would love to have a holiday type extravaganza, trip of a lifetime.
One way to do it is to reach out and show the hand of solidarity to the Ukrainian people who are going through very difficult times economically and from an invading oppressor.

They have also been subjected to some of the worlds worst nose in the trough corruption with previous governments taking out 20% of GDP.

It would set a trend to reach out to their supporters groups to show that we care and we would turn the whole tie into a welcome bon amis guest fest.

The Ukrainian people need help, support and a demonstration of solidarity. I am sure we would get the biggest welcome in Kiev if we took that stance.

Colin Glassar
26 Posted 28/02/2015 at 10:01:50

That's a good point, Steven, and it might work. On the flip side, the ultras of Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk, Dnipro etc... might fancy their chances against a few hundred English "hooligans".

The best options would be (A) play behind closed doors with no fans from either club allowed in; (B) play in a neutral venue, eg, Cyprus or Turkey.

Matt Traynor
27 Posted 28/02/2015 at 11:08:46

Cyprus just gave permission for the Russian navy to use its ports, much to the chagrin of the EU. Not exactly a "neutral" venue then.

Maybe Qatar will offer to host it, like they offered to stage the Africa Nations Cup when there was concern about Ebola. Would at least be local for me!

Lee Wareham
28 Posted 28/02/2015 at 12:06:17

Mike Childs, I live in Dublin and, believe me, they are all RS fans.

Andrew Ellams
29 Posted 28/02/2015 at 13:49:07

So I just watched the video of this and I don't see too much in it. There are a few people who appear to be protesting to the Guincamp fans, probably about that banner and a few rent-an-idiot types trying to kick it off. It looks like there are more because the group is swelled by the stewards, players and press. Once again, the media seemed to have created a mountain out of a molehill.

Murdo Laing
31 Posted 28/02/2015 at 14:32:20

Steven (#25)

"One way to do it is to reach out and show the hand of solidarity to the Ukrainian people who are going through very difficult times economically and from an invading oppressor." What doesn't reach the BBC news is that there are nationals of various countries (some ex-Soviet) at risk of renewed Russian oppression, namely Finns, Poles, and those of the Baltic states who are known to be fighting alongside the Ukranian army and the disparate pro-Government militia.

This situation in Ukraine/ the Crimea is deeply worrying; it is, globally speaking, "on our doorstep" . We should indeed show solidarity. I cannot, however, see any way in which the game can go ahead in Kyiv, as any crowd issues are too much of a risk for Uefa. Much better that Evertonians try to show support by taking the blue and yellow Ukraninan flag to the home game with messages of solidarity... a maybe a minute's applause in the 14th minute of the game to mark the year of the sovereign state's invasion?

Political? Yes... but it's one peaceful way of England's only remaining team in the Europa to send a message out to Ukraine that "you are not alone" and also to support the Blues to victory of course!

Will Jones
32 Posted 28/02/2015 at 16:31:25

Right now, we have a chance to progress in a great competition, so let's put politics aside and give this a damn good go!! We have already sacrificed our best for this competition, so let's see it though (laughing at you Spurs!!!)

Derek Thomas
33 Posted 28/02/2015 at 22:14:53

Lyndon enough with the pretentious reverse exonymism, you don't write Bayern Munchen do you... No.

Just like everybody else, you say and write Bayern Munich. Give over.

Lyndon Lloyd
34 Posted 28/02/2015 at 23:59:14

Derek, one man's pretension is another man's accuracy and while your tone is unnecessarily snotty, you do have a point about "Bayern Munich" versus "Bayern MÃ¼nchen".

I took my cue from Wikipedia which does not offer the "Kiev" alternative (though I note the BBC goes with it) and also suggestions that Ukrainians are preferring to revert to the more traditional spelling (Kyiv) in the wake of the conflict with Russia.

At the end of the day, it doesn't *really* matter.

Derek Thomas
36 Posted 01/03/2015 at 00:32:59

Sean; Sometimes It's the little things that annoy you the most. Lyndon; sorry for the extra portion of snot.

Gerry Quinn
38 Posted 01/03/2015 at 11:09:29

Ha, ha, Lyndon - quote "...and while your tone is unnecessarily snotty..." unquote.

Where the hell did you learn to speak so eloquently - at Eton?

Brilliant...love this site for all of its surprises...

Sean Kelly
39 Posted 01/03/2015 at 11:49:22

IÂ’d didnÂ’t know snot was a language.

Sean Kelly
40 Posted 01/03/2015 at 11:52:57

Derek your wrong lad. Some of the things that annoy me most is Everton dropping points to lesser teams. Howard getting his place back. Barry never being dropped and people who think they are superior being because they can pronounce and spell words with more than five letters. I hope that horse isnÂ’t too big... The one you are sitting on.

Paul Jones
41 Posted 01/03/2015 at 12:11:46

Snotty is the official language of Greenland.

Alan Bodell
42 Posted 01/03/2015 at 16:44:23

Mike (#12), off topic sorry but EFC and Boxing I love, went to Worcester. Mass. 1983 to see Hagler fight Tony Sibson. Great town and people, snowed like I never ever saw here in the UK.

Fly the flag for us Blues mate.

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