Aston Villa have been fined £200,000 (€277,000) for the pitch invasion at the end of their FA Cup quarter-final win over West Brom in March which saw some Baggies players targeted by fans.
Villa won 2-0 over their local rivals West Brom at Villa Park with ecstatic fans storming the pitch in stoppage time and after the full time whistle. Tim Sherwood’s men have since then gone on to beat Liverpool to secure a dream FA Cup final date with Arsenal.
After the game, West Brom boss Tony Pulis criticized the stewarding at Villa Park and said his players’ safety was in jeopardy and Villa issued an apology saying the victory had been “marred by the actions of those who could not control themselves.”
Some reports also suggested that seats were thrown from a section of the ground housing away fans during the disturbances.
An FA statement read:
“Aston Villa have been fined £200,000 after admitting spectator misconduct in relation to their FA Cup sixth-round tie against West Brom on March 7, 2015.
“The club was charged for failing to ensure that no spectators or unauthorized persons were permitted to encroach onto the pitch area whilst attending the game at Villa Park.
“Following the Independent Regulatory Commission hearing, Aston Villa were also severely warned as to the club’s future conduct.”
