Derry City threatened with Brandywell closure

Derry City has been fined and threatened with a partial stadium closure if there is a repeat of the violent scenes which marred the conclusion of the recent league game against Shamrock Rovers at the Brandywell.

The League of Ireland and FAI have responded strongly to the incidents, which saw a flare and other missiles being thrown over the wall from the Lone Moor Road into the area of the ground holding the visiting fans.

To ensure the safety of the Rovers’ fans, the club had to take the unusual step of moving supporters onto the pitch following the final whistle.

As well as the threatened ban, the club have also been hit with yet another fine relating to the use of a pyrotechnic on the field of play. The flare, which was originally thrown into the section holding the Rovers fans were, ended up on the pitch, where an unsupervised youngster picked it up and ran unchallenged before discarding it on the playing surface, where it caused a small fire. A small group of youths also broke into the ground at that time, before dispersing with the PSNI having to attend to diffuse the trouble.

The statement from the League of Ireland read: “Following incidents at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division fixture between Derry City FC and Shamrock Rovers FC on Friday, 19 April 2024, an Independent Disciplinary Committee has imposed a suspended partial stadium closure at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

“The Independent Disciplinary Committee determined that if the same or similar offence occurs at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in the course of the next home SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division fixture, the sanction will become effective.

“The Independent Disciplinary Committee has also issued two fines relating to the above-mentioned incident and the incident involving a pyrotechnic on the field of play.

A flare lands on the playing surface after being thrown in from outside the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium during last week's Derry City and Shamrock Rovers game. (Photos: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

The League of Ireland and FAI are committed to providing a safe environment for players, officials, staff and spectators at all our fixtures.”

Derry City responded this evening, to acknowledge the penalties, and revealed that the club is currently in the process of making changes to ensure there will be no repeat of the trouble.

The club said: “Derry City Football Club accepts the ruling of the Independent Disciplinary Committee in relation to the  events during and after the Shamrock Rovers game on 19th April 2024.

"The club condemns the scenes in and around the ground on Friday night and has cooperated fully with the Independent Committee.

"Since the events of last Friday, representatives of the club have met with several statutory agencies to discuss enhanced crowd control measures.

"In addition to the partial suspended stadium ban, the club has also been fined for the use of pyrotechnics in the ground.  The club has made repeated requests in the past for supporters to cease the use of pyrotechnics.  This behaviour continues to have a direct financial impact to the club as well as possibly a major health and safety risk to all spectators.

"Additional controls were in place for the game against St Pats and further measures are to be introduced prior to the next home game.

"As a result of continued anti-social behaviour, the club need to take additional measures to ensure that all supporters attending games in the Ryan McBride stadium can enjoy a safe and enjoyable match night experience.

"This is highly unfortunate and not a move the club takes lightly. The club is reviewing photographic and video evidence to seek to identify any supporters involved in this behaviour.

"The club is exploring all alternatives, but it is likely that a number of season ticket holders in Block K and L will need to be relocated to alternative locations to facilitate this.

"It has however been forced on the club due to those recent events. When final decisions have been made, the club will be in contact with impacted season ticket holders."