UEFA hit Chelsea opponents with fine and ban after racist abuse

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Qarabag FK have been hit with a £4,379 (€5,000) fine after their supporters were found guilty of racist conduct against Chelsea earlier this month. Chelsea's UEFA Youth League win over Qarabag was temporarily suspended after Sol Gordon's opening goal in the 58th minute was followed by a home supporter appearing to direct racist gestures towards the Blues' players.

Chelsea's squad were visibly distressed and raised concerns with Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak, who halted proceedings and consulted both teams' coaching staff in the technical area. Play then continued, with Calum McFarlane's team securing a commanding 5-0 victory courtesy of a double from Jesse Derry and additional goals from Mheuka and Frankie Runham.

UEFA's disciplinary panel confirmed at the time they would await the referee's official report before reaching any conclusions. However, they have now announced that Qarabag face charges for "racist and/or discriminatory behaviour," reports football.london .

The Azerbaijan Premier League outfit has also received a cash penalty and has been ordered to stage one youth fixture behind closed doors, though this sanction remains suspended for one year. UEFA has also issued a statement.

It read: "The CEDB has decided: To fine Qarabağ FK Youth €5,000 and to order Qarabağ FK Youth to play its next one (1) UEFA competition match as host club behind closed doors, for the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters. Said match behind closed doors is suspended during a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision."

Qarabag responded at the time with: "We are sorry about this incident. It does not reflect the values of our club. We will investigate it thoroughly."

Chelsea also released a statement after the game, which said: "We are aware of an incident during today's UEFA Youth League match in Azerbaijan in which, after scoring, a number of our players were subjected to racist abuse from an individual in the crowd.

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"Racism and all forms of discriminatory behaviour are completely unacceptable and have no place in football or indeed in society. We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible.

"Our players have the full support of everyone at the club, and we have raised the incident immediately with the UEFA match delegate and home club.

"We expect this matter to be investigated fully under UEFA's disciplinary procedures.

"We are proud of the way our players and staff responded to the incident on the pitch, swiftly reporting it to the referee, and commend those for dealing with the matter professionally and appropriately in line with UEFA protocols.

"Chelsea Football Club is immensely proud of the diversity within our team and across our entire club and will continue to work with UEFA to ensure that those responsible for discriminatory behaviour in football are held accountable."

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