Motherwell have been handed a fine from UEFA following two incidents during the Europa Conference League qualifiers with Sligo Rovers.
The Premiership side face two penalties, with an incident occurring during both the home and away leg of the tie. Fir Park chiefs have been told they will have to pay out £2,569 after the assistant referee - Petur Pauli Hojgaard - was hit by a plastic bottle thrown from the John Hunter Stand during the home clash last month. A sum of £1,712 is due after fireworks were lit during the second leg in the Republic of Ireland. It means the club are now due UEFA £4,282 in total.
The Steelmen bowed out of qualification for the European tournament after a 1-0 defeat at home and 2-0 loss on the road against the Irish outfit. And to make matters worse, Motherwell have been handed another blow with a bill hanging over their heads as a consequence for the behaviour of a small number of fans.
The club issued a warning following the first leg incident. The statement read: “We were very disappointed at an incident which took place late in the game where a plastic bottle was thrown towards the assistant referee from the north end of the John Hunter Stand.
“Over the last few seasons there have been a couple of occasions where objects have been thrown onto the field of play at Fir Park. Our policy has always been to deal with individuals quietly and efficiently, and we have handed out indefinite bans to those who we have been able to identify.
“To put it into some context, we are talking about a very small number of flash points over a few seasons, and the overwhelming majority of ‘Well fans who follow the team are passionate, noisy and colourful, but do not overstep the mark by endangering players, officials or staff."
“The incident last night is now being investigated by UEFA and the likelihood is the club will be punished. We ourselves will work hard to identify the person responsible and will take firm action. It goes without saying, but throwing any objects onto the pitch is unacceptable at Fir Park or any other football stadium.”
To add to the issues, the club have also been handed warnings over not having enough toilets in the South Stand as well as minimum medical requirements.
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