Athletic’s debut last night against Roma in the Italian Olympic Stadium leaves us with the sad chapter of the launching of flares in the area where the Basque team’s fans were, coinciding with the goal scored by Aitor Paredes. At the end of the match, the red and white club issued a statement showing its zero tolerance and warned that it was already implementing the necessary measures to identify the perpetrators. Valverde also showed his displeasure and the captains of the Bilbao team, De Marcos and Iñaki Williams, approached the small group of nearly 2,400 fans who traveled with the team to reproach them for their action.
Now all that remains is to know the disciplinary consequences of this throw and other throws that occurred at different times during the game. The matter remains in the hands of the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Commission. What is certain is that Athletic will be severely punished financially with a fine from UEFA.
But this behavior can also have more consequences. On the one hand, it determines the sale of tickets by the club to fans for the next match or the following matches away from San Mamés in the Europa League. The first against the Bulgarian team Ludogorets and even the next against the Turkish Fenerbahce. And on the other hand, the possibility even of the partial closure of San Mamés also in the following European meetings.
These last two decisions can be applied immediately or UEFA could leave it on trial for the next two years. To this we must add the possible damage that may have been caused to the Roman stadium. In this case, the Basque club will have 30 days to contact Roma to pay it.
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