Lille ponder appeal over fine

Lille are weighing up whether to appeal against UEFA’s decision to fine the club £41,900 (€61,800) as a result of crowd disturbances and player misbehaviour which marred last month’s Champions League clash with Manchester United.

The French club were hit with the sanction yesterday “for breaches of security provisions and lack of proper organisation, as well as for the improper conduct of the team after United’s goal in the English side’s 1-0 victory” in the last-16 first leg on February 20.

There was crowd trouble during the match, with United fans close to being crushed owing to apparent overcrowding in the stand behind the goal.

And on the pitch, Ryan Giggs’ winner, a quickly taken free-kick while goalkeeper Tony Sylva was lining up his wall, almost led to Lille’s players walking off the pitch in protest.

United have been fined around £6,300 (€9,300) as a result of their fans’ misbehaviour in the same game.

Lille are aggrieved at the discrepancy in the size of the fines, and could launch an appeal.

A statement on the club’s website, www.losc.fr, read: “In the expectation of the motivating decisions of UEFA and taking into account the gap in the sanctions pronounced between the two clubs, LOSC (Lille) judge this ruling extremely severe and disproportionate and will consider the option of lodging an appeal.”

The teams can appeal against the fines within three days of receiving a written explanation.

UEFA have already thrown out two appeals by Lille against the controversial late goal scored by Giggs in the first leg.