Exclusive: UEFA to issue ban after situation with Tottenham’s Porro and Bergvall
Keith Hackett has condemned the “unacceptable” throwing of missiles at Tottenham stars Pedro Porro and Lucas Bergvall.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that UEFA would be made aware of the incident and Eintracht Frankfurt could face a stadium ban as a consequence.
With Ange Postecoglou’s job as Tottenham manager on the line, the Australian’s players stepped up in a huge way.
Putting his body on the line, James Maddison earned a penalty for Tottenham, which Dominic Solanke duly dispatched to win Tottenham the match.
Whilst that strike from the spot would be the eventual winner, the tie was mired with disruptions from the Frankfurt fans, leading to a hostile atmosphere on and off the pitch.
Missiles thrown at Tottenham stars Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall
In the 25th minute Tottenham earned themselves a corner, and as Porro trotted over to take it, he was met with a deluge of objects thrown at him by the Frankfurt fans.
Whilst the Spaniard did his best to clear them out of the way and then ignore them, it clearly had an impact, with his set-piece sailing miles off course.
Despite an announcement over the PA system, just a few minutes later and Bergvall headed to the opposite corner, and whilst the Swedish midfielder had a different section of the stadium behind him, the result was the same.
The 19-year-old and the entire Tottenham squad all dealt admirably with the German fans’ attempts to incite a reaction, and whilst there were a few moments where things looked like they may boil over on the pitch, Spurs remained staunch and will now play Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals.
Keith Hackett condemns missiles thrown at Tottenham players
Having reviewed the footage of the incidents, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett told Football Insider exclusively that the throwing of missiles was “unacceptable” and that UEFA would be made aware, saying:
“The throwing of missiles at any game is unacceptable, and with the public warning issued at this game, it should be followed up with the positioning of more security people around the area where the offences are taking place.
“The fact that the stadium announcement increment has been made, UEFA will be made aware of the events in and will take action through a substantial fine, or if the clubs’ record is a poor one, a stadium ban could be imposed at their next UEFA home game.”