Dundalk Fined For Palestine Flag at Euro Game

[Longfordian]

I'd say the fact dundalks stewards actually took down the flags initially may go in their favour on appeal but I'd still imagine a heavy heavy fine at the end of it all

UEFA would probably say they should have confiscated the flags

[White Horse]

Dundalk FC can confirm that the club has been charged by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.

These charges relate to Article 16 (2) of the Disciplinary Rules (relating to flags that have been deemed by UEFA to be inappropriate) and Article 45 UEFA Stadium Infrastructure (relating to the prohibition of standing supporters).

The total fine is €18,000 for these charges.

Dundalk FC have requested further information from UEFA on these charges before beginning any appeals process.

Dundalk FC will be making no further comment on this issue until it is fully resolved.


http://www.dundalkfc.com/statement/

[wonder88]

So the view expressed here is that people should stay quiet while around 500 children (including 4 playing ball on the beach) are slaughtered in Gazza? That club should appeal this decision I hope. People might want to look up David Norris contribution in the Seanad recently on youtube.

[bennocelt]

So the view expressed here is that people should stay quiet while around 500 children (including 4 playing ball on the beach) are slaughtered in Gazza? That club should appeal this decision I hope. People might want to look up David Norris contribution in the Seanad recently on youtube.

Exactly. Funny how some here immediately blame the fans first, rather then UEFA. it says a lot
All eyes on Ajax, wonder how many Israeli flags to be spotted.

[gufcfan]

Can't believe the fans who are turning on their own before looking at what UEFA are doing.

[outspoken]

So the view expressed here is that people should stay quiet while around 500 children (including 4 playing ball on the beach) are slaughtered in Gazza? That club should appeal this decision I hope. People might want to look up David Norris contribution in the Seanad recently on youtube.

Wouldn't surprise me if this case gets quite a lot of media attention, could even work in dundalks favour

[Longfordian]

The rules being stupid is a different argument to the fans being stupid/selfish for proceeding to display the banners knowing that they could cost the club a lot of money. If they want to make a political protest then fair play to them but do it in one of the many other places where nobody will be fined thousands of euros for them doing so. If it was LTFC I'd be furious with the fans who had already been warned.

[colonelwest]

So the view expressed here is that people should stay quiet while around 500 children (including 4 playing ball on the beach) are slaughtered in Gazza? That club should appeal this decision I hope. People might want to look up David Norris contribution in the Seanad recently on youtube.

The crowd in question wouldn't be able to find Gaza on a map or have a discussion on the topic longer than two sentences, plus they probably think he's played for England. Time and a place. You can be pretty much guaranteed these people haven't put a cent to the Red Cross appeal for Palestine or any humanitarian relief effort there (or anywhere else) either. As for David Norris and his wonderful oration in the Seanad, odds on not a sinner amongst them has seen that as well.

They were told before the game what the story was and still went ahead, they were told what would happen after it was taken down at the request of the match delegate and displayed them again several times. These boys and their glorious leader care nothing for the club they say they support and the consequences it faces from their actions, in fact a cynic might look at it that due to a lot of previous between their leader and the club that he's deliberately causing mither and sticking the knife in to get back at some people. All they care about is a bag of cans, and trying to be like Green Street.

Now there's a few decent lads in that group that I know of who put a hell of a lot of work into the tifo's, banners, songs etc and who are genuinely there for the support of the club, the football and create a good atmosphere but there's a lot of them who are only there for the wannabe hoolie "experience" who give those other lads a bad name.

[Kiki Balboa]

Absolute Joke by UEFA.

There is plenty of examples of Racism across Europe every week, (european and domestic) yet this fine is more ?? never mind that this was just a simple and small show of support over a clear humanitarian issue.

[bluewhitearmy]

Whether UEFA are wrong or not ( which I think they are) Dundalk fans have every right to be annoyed that some of their own continued to act in a way that they had been told would cost the club money and by doing so could cost the club quite a lot. They had made their point having been asked to take them down they should have.

Wonder 88 you are talking nonsense imo there is no-one complaining about the point the flags were there to make and it is quite clear that is not the issue.

[Charlie Darwin]

If I'm reading the Dundalk statement right, they were fined not only for the flag but for fans standing up. That is beyond petty from UEFA.

[dundalkfc10]

If I'm reading the Dundalk statement right, they were fined not only for the flag but for fans standing up. That is beyond petty from UEFA.

Was fans standing behind the goals, who it seems wouldnt move when asked by stewards, so stewards justs aid **** it instead of arguing with them and let them stay there! These lads would be middle aged men who stand around there so they are just as much to blame as the SSA and their Palestine flags!

[bennocelt]

Was fans standing behind the goals, who it seems wouldnt move when asked by stewards, so stewards justs aid **** it instead of arguing with them and let them stay there! These lads would be middle aged men who stand around there so they are just as much to blame as the SSA and their Palestine flags!

Why didnt you go over and tell them to take it down?

[Nesta99]

In relation to the fine for people standing behind the goal, if stewards made a half assed effort to move these people then the club has to bear some responsibility for not employing people who would do the job properly especially on a european night. It is not as if it hasnt been highlighted before that the cost of fines incurred would go a long way toward proper stewarding that would prevent problems.

I dont know why the flag wasnt confiscated to be returned after the match if the attitude of the ssa was apparent when they were asked to move it.

The leader of the ssa kids is like a cartoon character, i witnessed him being asked for a ticket stub to get back in to Oriel during a match few years back, the look on his face was comical with pure disbelief that the security guy didnt know him and didnt let him just walk on in to the players and officials entrance.

[Nesta99]

Exactly, of course the club and FAI will bend the knee.

According to this flying a Palestinian flag looked well below a lot of the casual racism on show at a good few clubs
http://www.farenet.org/news/incident...are-july-2014/

'
17 July 2014 – UEFA Europa League: Dundalk FC v HNK Hajduk Split
Ivorian Hajduk winger, Jean Evrard Kouassi, was subject to racist chants performed by a group of Dundalk fans.
Details of the incident were passed to UEFA for action.'

First i've heard of this and must have been such a big deal that its not been mentioned anywhere else??

[Charlie Darwin]

First I've heard of it too. The player seemingly didn't make any complaint or else we'd have heard about it. It was presumably a member of the public reporting to Fare.

[Kiki Balboa]

The player Dived in the first half and was booed for the rest of the game.

[DannyInvincible]

So the view expressed here is that people should stay quiet while around 500 children (including 4 playing ball on the beach) are slaughtered in Gazza? That club should appeal this decision I hope. People might want to look up David Norris contribution in the Seanad recently on youtube.

That's all well and good; Norris made a terrificly spirited contribution in the Seanad and this particular regulation is a stupid, subjectively-enforced one, but if you want to take part in UEFA competition, unfortunately, you have to play by all of UEFA's rules. The UEFA official at the game asked Dundalk to get rid of the flags, but that wasn't done. Hence, Dundalk have been fined in accordance with said stupid rule.

What's the difference, though, between a group of Dundalk fans waving Palestine flags and, say, Celtic fans waving Irish tricolours, or Ajax fans waving Israel flags? They're all inherently political statements, but how do UEFA decide which political statements are appropriate and which are inappropriate/worthy of punishment?

Lucky UEFA didn't spot the Ché Guevara flag in the Showgrounds when Rosenborg visited!

There must be some method of determining appropriate punishment in these kinds of cases. Does anybody know what the method is?

Pretty sure it's just left to the whim of UEFA's disciplinary body. The relevant regulation is exceptionally vague and ambiguous.

I guess it's impossible, but is there any chance that legally, Dundalk can go after these clowns for the money?

Don't see how the flag-wavers would be legally liable, to be honest. The flag-wavers, although inconsiderate of their club's obligations, weren't breaking any law, to the best of my knowledge. Unless they were in breach of some specific terms of entry... It was Dundalk's sole responsibility under UEFA's rules to ensure that no such display occurred inside the stadium though. The club failed to ensure that.

[Nesta99]

The player Dived in the first half and was booed for the rest of the game.

Was about to suggest that this might have been the issue.

[oriel]

The fine by UEFA is completely unreasonable, and it appears to be broken down under 'offensive or inappropriate flag' and then on another area of fans standing. I have to say I didn't notice those standing, but to get from the turnstile and the ground toilets to the shed side, you need to walk behind the town end goal. So is there a fine now built in if any supporter stopped or didn't walk fast enough. This just sounds ridiculous. If they watched the match from there and weren't moved, it's a problem of stewarding control, however this must have been a very limited few who did watch from behind the goal.

With regards to the flag, yes we know its a national flag but its also deemed to be taking one side in a conflict and much that it annoys me to see what is happening over there, a football found and especially in UEFA match is not where this type of protest should be taking place.

Im quite sure the club can demonstrate that they got agreement with these guys to take down the flag before ko, and tried to do all they could, and this should be used in their appeal and hopefully a reduced fine. This still doesn't take away the excessive fine that UEFA came out with and also the big problem the club have with a very small minority who watch games in the shed side and who appear to be hellbent on contributing fine after fine to the club.