UEFA has banned Lens from selling away tickets for two Champions League games, including at Liverpool, after fans threw flares. Fair, or unfair on all their fans?
Lens fans lit dozens of flares at Club Brugge in October and threw some towards rival supporters and the pitch, briefly stopping the match. The club was already on probation after flares at Slavia Prague in September. The ban covers trips to RB Leipzig on 24 November and Anfield on 27 January, and Lens were fined €80,000.
What happened
UEFA has barred French club Lens from selling tickets to their supporters for their next two Champions League away games, at RB Leipzig on 24 November and Liverpool on 27 January, and fined the club €80,000 for the lighting and throwing of pyrotechnics and acts of damage. A third away ban is suspended for two years. It follows Lens's 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge in October, when fans lit dozens of flares and threw some towards rival supporters and the pitch, briefly stopping the match. Lens were already on probation after flares and fireworks at Slavia Prague in September.
Why people disagree
The case for: flares thrown towards crowds can cause serious injuries, Lens had already been warned with probation, and clubs push harder to find offenders when the whole club pays. The case against: thousands of away fans who did nothing wrong lose a big European night, while the people responsible stay anonymous. Some argue that stadium cameras and individual bans would target the culprits instead.
What's still unclear
Whether Lens identify and ban the fans involved, whether ticketless supporters travel anyway, and whether bans like this actually reduce pyrotechnics at European games over time.
Sources
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