Exclusive: Charges inbound after Burnley vs Sheffield United full time clashes
Keith Hackett has reacted to the scenes that occurred after Burnley beat Sheffield United to secure promotion back to the Premier League.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that he is sure both clubs will be charged after players clashed at full time in that match.
A 2-1 win for Scott Parker‘s side at Turf Moor on Monday (21 April) confirmed that the Clarets have now secured automatic promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
That success for Burnley came at the expense of Sheffield United themselves, with the Blades now guaranteed to finish third, also behind Leeds United, and face the play-offs if they want to win promotion from the Championship.
Chris Wilder facing more issues amid promotion race frustration
After the game, Burnley players such as James Trafford took to social media to reflect on their success in returning to the Premier League.
That came in the wake of some wild celebrations on the pitch at Turf Moor, with a number of fans having also run on to celebrate.
With that defeat meaning Sheffield United are now out of the running for automatic promotion, their squad unsurprisingly did not want to be involved in the festivities.
| Championship position | Played | Points |
| 1. Leeds United | 44 | 94 |
| 2. Burnley | 44 | 94 |
| 3. Sheffield United | 44 | 86 |
Consequently, clashes between the two sets of players developed at the tunnel, with Blades boss Chris Wilder not happy with the security in place amid that pitch invasion.
Wilder could already be facing sanctions for his reaction after Sheffield United were beaten by Plymouth the previous weekend.
Now, Hackett expects both his team and Burnley to face more punishment over what happened at full time in this game.
Burnley and Sheffield United to be sanctioned over player clashes
After being asked by Football Insider if the FA could take action over what happened at full time in that match, Hackett said:
“I have no doubts that the FA will look at that. Fans coming is a criminal offence, so if you want to take it to the nth degree, even though it’s celebratory, fans should stay off the pitch.
“The club should make every effort [to ensure] that it doesn’t happen but it’s almost tradition isn’t it, all those things are part and parcel of the game.
“But the reality is that for the second week, or even inside one week, because I think they’re already on a review, Sheffield United for the [Plymouth] game, they’re in for it for a second week.
“They’ll be a charge from the Football Association for both clubs failing to control their players.”
Burnley will now look to take a step towards beating fellow promotion winners Leeds United to the Championship title when they travel to QPR on Saturday (26 April).
The day before that, Sheffield United will begin their preparations for the play-offs with a trip to Stoke City, who are still not safe from relegation.