Uefa has begun disciplinary procedures against Romanian side Unirea Urziceni for their part in the trouble that marred their Champions League fixture with Rangers on Wednesday.
Rangers fans in Bucharest – where the game had been switched to because Unirea’s ground was too small to host the match – were seen on TV throwing chairs and clashing with security officials in ugly scenes which led to European football's governing body charging the Ibrox club with improper conduct.
Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, complained in the wake of the game that the Romanians had failed to fulfil a promise to have four turnstiles open for travelling fans, with only two entry points open for entry into the ground and that disorganisation was cited as the reason for Uefa’s charges.
A statement from Uefa’s Control and Disciplinary Body on Friday evening outlined: “Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Romanian club FC Unirea Urziceni for lack of organisation at the UEFA Champions League Group G match against Rangers FC in Bucharest on Wednesday.
“The case relates to spectator entry procedures at the match, which finished in a 1-1 draw. The Control and Disciplinary Body will deal with the case on 12 November 2009, the same day as Rangers face charges relating to improper conduct of their supporters in the match.”
Some supporters were said to be still queuing to get into the stadium with half-time fast approaching, with their frustration and the reported heavy-handedness of stewards said to be the catalyst for the crowd trouble.
Rangers also complained that CS gas was used on supporters “indiscriminately” and had protested to Uefa about the failure of Unirea to ensure the safety of the travelling supporters.
A statement from Bain on Thursday said: "As already stated, I am not for a moment condoning the action of some supporters to the unfolding of events within the stadium. But as a Club, the preparations which were agreed and insisted upon in advance were not adhered to and this in turn we feel jeopardised the safety of our supporters.
"We are fully aware of the indiscriminate use of CS gas and the difficulties experienced by our fans accessing the stadium.”
Last updated: 06 November 2009, 18:56
The links provided allow you to bookmark this page into your favourite social media website. For users with JavaScript disabled copy and paste the URL from the address bar into your chosen social bookmarking site.