[Europe] City fined €30,000 by UEFA
Thursday 12 Apr 2012
Manchester City have been fined €30,000 by UEFA for delaying a match after Porto recieve punishment of £16,700 last week for their fans' racial abuse of Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure.
Commenting on the matter, Lord Herman Ouseley, Kick It Out chair, said: “This fine does nothing to help UEFA’s reputation in relation to how it tackles discrimination in football. We’ve seen significant punishments meted out in the past but, as an organisation, the line it takes on such matters has lacked consistency.
“With the European Championship’s looming, and the potential flashpoints which may occur during the tournament with right-wing groups in eastern Europe, this seems to conflict with the strong anti-racism message UEFA should be promoting.”
City were punished by UEFA's disciplinary committee for returning late to the field following half-time in the March 8 match at the Jose Alvalade stadium, which Sporting won 1-0.
A UEFA spokesman confirmed they had informed City of the punishment on Wednesday (11 April) and that the Premier League side had three days to appeal against the fine.
The punishment comes a week after another Portuguese club, Porto, were fined by UEFA for their fans' racial abuse of City players in the same competition in February.
City pair Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were both subjected to monkey taunts during a last-32 game at the Estadio do Dragao, prompting a complaint from the English club.
City went on to beat Porto 6-1 on aggregate to set up the tie with Lisbon. They were beaten by a goal from Brazilian Xandao in the Portuguese capital on March 8 before being knocked out on away goals after a 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium the following week.
From ESPN
Kick It Out on Twitter
Follow Kick It Out on Twitter to ensure you're aware of all the latest updates and information.
Danny Wallace
"Football should be easily available to everyone, whether it’s playing, coaching or supporting."
Danny Wallace, former Manchester United midfielder and Level Playing Field ambassador