The Danish football association, DBU, have opened a disciplinary case against Brøndby today following the crowd trouble during their 1-0 cup quarter-final win against rivals FC Copenhagen last night.
Hundreds of Brøndby fans spilled onto the Brøndby Stadium pitch after the match was over and were on their way to confront the visiting FCK fans until the riot police stepped in and restored order. Fans were also using illegal pyrotechnics and throwing various items onto the pitch and at FCK players.
DBU’s disciplinary committee will collect information and material from both clubs, as well as the police, but indicated that both clubs will endure disciplinary action. But Brøndby will face stiffer punishment over the debacle. It is the second time this month that Brøndby fans invaded the pitch, the first following a victory over Silkeborg, and Brøndby’s head of security, Emil Bakkendorff, was outraged at the fans’ behaviour.
“It’s a disgrace and completely unacceptable behaviour that has no place anywhere, let alone a football match. This is not a way to celebrate sporting success,” Bakkendorff said to 3+ TV station. “It is grotesque that it has developed to this and it’s no way to represent a football club. We really need to find out how this happened. It’s very shameful.”
And the club has taken drastic steps to convey that the behaviour of their fans was unacceptable. Today the club suspended the ticket sales for the last games before the winter break, away games against FC Nordsjælland and SønderjyskE.
The match itself was a hard-fought affair that needed extra time to decide. Icelandic midfielder, Rurik Gislason, came close to giving the visitors the lead in the first half after following up on young striker Andreas Cornelius’s header off the bar. But Brøndby escaped as Gislason’s follow-up header also crashed against the bar.
The tight struggle ended goal-less after 90 minutes and a counter-attack goal by Brøndby midfielder, Mike Jensen, who was playing his last home match for the yellow and blue, sealed the victory for the club battling relegation in the league.
Esbjerg beat Lyngby 2-1 in the other quarter-final played yesterday, while Randers take on FC Midtjylland tonight and OB host Horsens next Wednesday in the remaining fixtures. Brøndby, though, must wait and see who they will meet in the semi-finals, or whether they’ll even be allowed by DBU to progress after last night's troubles.
They’ll know the answer to the later question in three weeks’ time when DBU is expected to reveal their disciplinary findings.
