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7 November 2008
BASEL – A Swiss court imposed fines and prison sentences on 26 hooligans involved in a violent pitch invasion after FC Zurich beat FC Basel in injury time of a championship-deciding match.
The 2-1 defeat dashed Basel’s hopes of winning the Swiss league title in 2006 and taking part in the lucrative Champions League the following season.
Judge Lukas Faesch imposed penalties ranging from fines of several thousand Swiss francs to a prison terms of nine months, suspended over four years, for a 22-year-old man who attacked Zurich player Iulian Filipescu.
None of the defendants were identified in line with Swiss privacy laws.
"If you can’t stand to see your team lose, then you shouldn’t be in a stadium, and you’re not a fan," Faesch told the accused.
The incident, which became known as "The Shame of Basel," saw hundreds of people invade the pitch after Filipescu scored the winning goal in the third minute of injury time at Basel’s St. Jakob Park. A drawn match would have given Basel the title.
Basel police spokesman Klaus Mannhardt said he was satisfied with the sentences and hoped they would stop others from committing violence at football games in the future.
[AP / Expatica]