Western Sydney Wanderers handed penalties over behaviour of fans

Under fire A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers have been fined $50,000 and formally threatened with a loss of competition points after being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.

Football Federation Australia announced on Thursday it would be sanctioning the club following the behaviour of some of its supporters during last Saturday’s clash with Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium.

It was revealed 25 flares were lit inside and outside the ground, with seven crackers also set off.

24 chairs at Etihad Stadium were also broken.

FFA boss David Gallop said it was ‘unacceptable’ and if something similar happened again, the club would be stripped of points.

The suspended sentence will be in place until February 6 next year.

‘The events of last Saturday night and the coordinated misconduct of a section of Western Sydney Wanderers fans cannot be tolerated by anyone in Australian football,’ Mr Gallop said in a statement.

‘The misconduct was not only dangerous and threatening but the coordinated and calculated way the fans behaved was a serious blight on the reputation of football and everyone involved in our game including clubs, members, fans, players and officials.

‘The sanctions have been set taking into consideration the seriousness of the incidents but a clear commitment both publicly and through its submission that the Wanderers will take responsibility for implementing a clear strategy to identify and exclude these individuals.

‘The Western Sydney Wanderers and the vast majority of Wanderers fans have expressed their disdain at the behaviour of the perpetrators on Saturday night and must now work together to rid their club of these troublemakers who threaten the huge support the club has brought to the competition.

‘While the club has put a number of measures in place it goes without saying that more needs to be done.

‘The timing of the incident was frustrating for everyone who has been working collectively on a new banning process to deal with the type of behaviour that was on show last Saturday night.’