Burnley have issued a statement apologising for the behaviour of a minority of fans after an eight-year-old Sunderland supporter was reportedly hurt when missiles were thrown into the home end at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The game was briefly paused in the first half due to objects being thrown from the away end in the upper tier of the North Stand down onto the Sunderland fans below, and a message was displayed on the scoreboard asking visiting supporters to cease.
And in the wake of the incident, Burnley have apologised for the 'unacceptable behaviour' of some of the 2,600 fans they took to Wearside, saying: "Burnley Football Club strongly condemn the unacceptable behaviour of items being thrown by some of our supporters at our match with Sunderland on Saturday, October 22. "The incident happened during the first half at the Stadium of Light, and in accordance with Sunderland’s safety procedures the match was halted, and a big screen message and PA announcement followed.
"We are aware that an eight-year-old child was injured as a result of an object being thrown. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by Burnley Football Club.
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"An investigation on this disappointing incident is ongoing and anyone caught throwing objects will be liable to a banning order. The club will not let the actions of any individuals spoil, affect, or jeopardise the enjoyment of all our supporters, who have been magnificent all season.
"We offer our sincere apologies to Sunderland Football Club and to any supporters who may have been affected by this on the weekend."
After the game, Burnley manager Vincent Kompany was asked about the stoppage but at that point he understood that it was due to a failure of the match officials' communication equipment. It is not the first time that objects have been thrown down from the away end onto the home fans, and Burnley fans are by no means the only culprits.
Sunderland are due to meet with representatives of their Branch Liaison Council tomorrow evening to discuss the issue and explore potential solutions.
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