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FOOTBALL

Football club fined for firework that hit referee

The Swedish Football Association (Svenska fotbollsförbundet) has ordered Stockholm-based club AIK to pay a fine of 150,000 kronor ($24,500) for an incident in which a referee was hit by a firework thrown from stands, forcing the match to be abandoned.

Football club fined for firework that hit referee

In addition, AIK’s opponent in the April 25th match, Södertälje-based rival Syrianska FC, is to be awarded a 3-0 victory for the match.

Crowds at the Allsvenskan football match, played April 25th on Syrianska’s home arena, became aggressive following referee Martin Ströbergsson’s decision to send off AIK’s Teteh Bangura in the first half.

Violence erupted in the stands, and several objects were thrown onto the pitch, including a firecracker that struck assistant referee Daniel Wärnmark.

Strömbergsson finally decided to interrupt the match, only 20 minutes into the game.

Up until Thursday, it has been unclear which team has been to blame for the incident, but the Swedish Football Association has now decided that AIK must pay a 150,000 kronor fine.

As Syrianska was in the lead by 1-0 when the game was interrupted, the association has also awarded the football team points for a 3-0 victory.

Although the Swedish Football Association has reached their verdict, the Södertälje police force is however still investigating the events of April 25th, writes news agency TT.

“Several different things have happened, and we want the full picture before we decide who has done what,” Mikael Alfredsson of the Södertälje police told TT.

Shortly after the Football Association announced the verdict, AIK announced on its website it planned to appeal the decision, saying it “didn’t share the opinion” of the association’s disciplinary committee.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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