Fifa to investigate coin throwing incident at Windsor Park
Sepp Blatter wants investigation into coin throwing
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Monday, 30, Mar 2009 09:06
Fifa will be investigating the incident which left a match official nursing a head wound in the game between Northern Ireland and Poland.
A fan at Windsor Park threw a coin at assistant referee Stefan Wittberg and it left him needing treatment after the coin hit his head. The culprit was indentified and removed from the ground at half-time.
But that may not be the end of the matter as Fifa will review the incident after receiving reports from referee Martin Hansson and the match commissioner, before deciding if the Northern Ireland Football Association deserves to be punished.
A spokesman for the Irish Football Association said: "What happened was totally unacceptable. The individual was identified and evicted from the stadium at half-time. Appropriate action will now be taken.
"But this was an isolated incident. The Northern Ireland fans were fantastic at Windsor and gave the team great vocal backing."
The match, which Northern Ireland won 3-2, was marred by confrontations between Polish fans and the police before and after the game. Four fans were arrested on Saturday and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct at Belfast Magistrates Court today.
Up to 60 Northern Ireland fans also clashed with the authorities and 11 police officers were left inured as a result of the incidents.