FIFA take action against UAE

Football's world governing body FIFA takes action after crowd trouble at Saturday's match against North Korea.

Police calm supporters after North Korea scored their second goal during Saturday's World Cup Qualifier.

ABU DHABI // World football's governing body FIFA has launched disciplinary action against the UAE Football Association after crowd trouble during the national team's defeat by North Korea. Officials from the national team will be asked to explain the circumstances that saw Emirati fans pelting match officials and North Korean players with water bottles and juice cartons. A senior UAE Football Association figure apologised for the scenes during the World Cup qualifier on Saturday night and said fans must behave during the home game against Saudi Arabia tomorrow night. Trouble erupted soon after An Choi-Hyo, a North Korean attacker, scored his side's second goal in their surprise 2-1 win. A barrage of rubbish rained down on the pitch from two home stands at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. One assistant referee and the North Korean keeper had to dodge missiles, and a North Korean player receiving treatment for an injury was struck on the chest. Although fans calmed down after appeals from players and the intervention of the police, more bottles were thrown at the end of the game. Football's governing bodies must first receive the referee's match report before they can act. A FIFA spokeswoman said yesterday: "Having received the official reports, FIFA has opened a disciplinary procedure regarding that match. "As the procedure is currently ongoing, we are not in a position to provide any further details until a decision has been reached and communicated to the parties." The spokeswoman said the organisation took any act of violence towards match officials "very seriously", adding: "Fair play is one of the basic principles of FIFA." Disciplinary measures are normally processed within three weeks. Teams whose fans throw objects on to the pitch are usually fined. The UAE may face a higher fine as match officials were targeted. Repeat offenders can be ordered to play matches behind closed doors or in a neutral venue and face increasingly large fines. Rashid al Zaabi, director of the UAE Football Association, said the FA was ready to co-operate with any investigation launched by FIFA. "We are very upset by the reaction of the fans," he said. "Nobody accepts the reaction of our supporters after the game. "We are going to try our best to avoid this happening again. Security has very clear guidelines about what is allowed and what is not." The UAE play Saudi Arabia in the same stadium tomorrow night knowing defeat would all but end their hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Abu Dhabi Police have announced that the sale of water and juice will be banned at the stadium. Drinks are already banned for league matches and this will be extended to cover all international matches in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Mr Zaabi said: "We could be punished for this. So it will not be repeated in the next game, we will try to stop it. "We have tried to be kind by letting them have water in the stadium because they have been fasting. But this is what they do. "We are starting a professional league this year and this cannot be repeated. "We have to find a solution to this and there has to be a proper reaction. "We are very sorry for what has happened." Mr Zaabi added: "We would like fans to discover the meaning of fair play. They have to respect other teams that come here to play against you, and the officials too." [e-mail]