CROWD trouble at Springfield in the aftermath of the Muratti Vase left “a sour taste”, a leading football official has stated, calling for those responsible to be punished.
A small number of supporters among a crowd of almost 1,500 became involved in ugly scenes at the final whistle of the game, which brought a 2-1 victory for Guernsey’s men.
Police officers joined around 40 stewards in restoring order after visiting supporters confronted their Jersey counterparts, with video footage showing punches being thrown and a wheely-bin hurled in anger.
Jersey Football Association chief executive Tim Pryor admitted that while the trouble had been the work of a very small proportion of attendees, it was not a good look for the sport.
“Football’s had its problems with violence and safeguarding issues in the past, and it’s come a long way since then,” he said. “This sort of incident doesn’t help us – we are reliant on sponsorship, and this won’t help us attract sponsors.
“It leaves a sour taste in the mouth after what had been an excellent contest on the pitch – the majority of supporters were well-behaved, but were let down by a minority who crossed the line at the end of the game.”
Mr Pryor said he accepted that pitch invasions might be part of the celebrations by exuberant supporters, but said that the actions witnessed on Saturday went too far.
“It’s not acceptable to confront and goad your opponents like this, and we’ve also seen a steward sustain a gash on his leg and a bit of damage to the pitch from a flare,” he said.
A spokesperson for States of Jersey Police said yesterday: “Officers and event staff concentrated on separating fans and restoring order, which was done quickly – no persons have come forward to police to report any offence.
“No arrests have been made by SOJP at this stage – police will be reviewing CCTV, drone footage and third-party material in due course.”
The Jersey FA would be helping the review, Mr Pryor confirmed.
“We will work with the police over the coming days – I would hope something is done, but it’s not for me to say what action should be taken,” he said.
Although conceding that the many pictures and videos shared in media reports, on social media and via messaging apps was not good publicity for football, Mr Pryor said there was a plus side.
“I would imagine that there are lots of clear images available to police to help identify those involved,” he said.
Far more serious football-related violence was witnessed elsewhere in Europe over the weekend.
Two police officers were seriously injured and 14 arrests were made during trouble in Glasgow after Celtic’s Premiership title win against Hearts on Saturday, with around 3,000 supporters of the champion side gathering in the Trongate area of the city after the deciding match of the league season.
Meanwhile in France, hooded ultras stormed the pitch during the Ligue 1 match between Nantes and visitors Toulouse, forcing Sunday’s game at Stade de la Beaujoire to be suspended after 22 minutes and eventually abandoned with no further play.
