UEFA Sanctions on RFF Upheld

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA’s) sanctions imposed on the Romanian Football Federation (RFF) in relation to the Nations League match against Kosovo in mid-November last year. UEFA had imposed a stadium closure and fines for the xenophobic actions of Romanian fans who had chanted anti-Hungary and pro-Serbia slogans that were offensive to Kosovo players. Kosovo players had left the pitch at 0-0, and the match was initially suspended before being abandoned an hour later after they had not returned.

Notably, RFF had not challenged the infringement of the UEFA regulations (Art.14 & Art.16.2 UEFA Disciplinary Regulations) but appealed to partially set aside the disciplinary sanctions, i.e., annul the closure of the stadium or partially close it along with a reduction of the fines. However, the CAS did not consider the sanctions to be disproportionate to the violations.

The Kosovan Football Federation had been fined by UEFA earlier this year for fan misconduct when their national team hosted Romania in a Nations League match in September.

Article 14.2 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations states that if one or more club supporters engage in racist and other discriminatory behaviour, the club or association will incur a minimum fine and partial stadium closure or be banned from selling tickets. Depending on the circumstances of a case, additional sanctions may also be imposed, such as matches behind closed doors or stadium closure, forfeiture of matches, deduction of points, and disqualification.

The regulations also mandate compliance with the UEFA safety and security guidelines where if racist or other security incidents occur during the matches, referees should stop, suspend or even abandon a match if racist incidents occur. UEFA’s three-step guidelines require a match to be first stopped, and a public warning given, then a suspension for a period of time and third, after coordination with security officers, the match will be abandoned if racist behavior has not ceased. In such a case, the team responsible forfeits the tie.