Portsmouth ‘face fine as stadium bans mooted’ after Fratton Park incident
Portsmouth could face a fine from the FA after the behaviour of certain supporters in the 2-2 draw against Derby County on Saturday.
The Rams travelled to Fratton Park on 12 April as both sides gained a point in their efforts to avoid relegation from the Championship.
A Rob Atkinson brace and own goal saw Pompey secure a late draw, sparking superb celebrations in the stands after falling behind twice on the day.
With that being said, it is the antics of a small section of supporters that have ruined it for the south coast outfit, who could now be set to face a fine, while handing out stadium bans.
Portsmouth in line for FA fine after fan antics v Derby County
With John Mousinho’s side sitting 19th in the table, four points off the relegation battle, the passion in each game now is huge.
Every player, member of the coaching staff and fan are hoping for the best going into every remaining game, and things were no different against Derby.
This helped the PO4 side to earn a hard-fought point, but the behaviour of a section of supporters saw objects thrown towards an assistant referee.
It is fair to say that this didn’t go down well inside Fratton Park and is now being investigated by Hampshire Police and could result in charges from the Football Association [BBC Sport, 15 April].
Finance expert Dan Plumley believes this will end in a fine for the Blues and even a stadium ban for those found guilty, if they want to.
“The club is going to get fined, either way, for stuff like that,” he exclusively told Pompey News.
“So, it does hurt the club in the pocket, but ultimately, these fans are going to be identified as they are more and more, and we’re talking about stadium bans, and the club will dictate what they do with those individuals.
“Absolutely no place for it within the game, the club will get hurt for it, and if you want to push it that far, the fans will get banned from ever attending matches as well.“
Portsmouth must cut down on fan incidents
Pompey will be eager to head into the summer window with their finances in the best possible place to help improve their side.
Mousinho will be hopeful of an injection of funds from Michael Eisner to add to his squad, which looks set to narrowly avoid relegation this campaign.
The amount of money available on the south coast could be set to decrease every week if the Fratton Park faithful can’t control themselves in the stands.
This needs to be stopped, with stadium bans being potentially the only way to make that possible before the season ends.