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Finnish FA fines club after referee target of fan racism

An unidentified spectator shouted racist comments at a match referee during a Veikkausliiga game last month.

Kuopion Palloseura ja HJK liigaottelussa 29.5.2022 Kuopion Keskuskentällä.
The incident occurred during a game between KuPS and HJK on 29 May. Image: Keijo Salokangas / Yle
  • Yle News

The Finnish Football Association has fined the Kuopio-based football team KuPS a total of 300 euros after a fan racially abused referee Mohammad Al-Emara during a match last month.

The incident took place during the Veikkausliiga game between KuPS and HJK on 29 May, when an individual in the crowd shouted a racist comment at Al-Emara as he was refereeing the match.

In a tweet posted on Friday, Al-Emara thanked a Kuopio supporter who "bravely intervened" during the incident and then reported the racist shouting to him.

The FA's Disciplinary Committee issued the fine to the club after deciding that the individual in question had acted in a way that could be considered, among other things, a breach of safety regulations.

Stewards or other security personnel at the game did not intervene as they did not hear the shouting. KuPS said it has made efforts to identify the person who made the racist comments, but so far has not been successful.

The chair of the Finnish FA's Disciplinary Committee noted that the club's actions show it has taken the incident seriously.