The men’s soccer league match between AC Oulu and FC Inter was suspended on August 10 due to racist chants directed at the match referee.
The discipline of the Finnish Football Association has imposed a fine on AC Oulu for a racist shout in the Veikkausliiga match on August 10. AC Oulu – FC Inter. The fine is 700 euros.
Match referee Mohammad Al-Emara heard a racist chant from the stands, which caused him to stop the match. According to the judge, the scream was aimed at him and he was very upset by what happened. He demanded responsibility from the spectators, fans and the parties organizing the match.
The matter was resolved after the match. The Oulu club decided that a spectator guilty of racist shouting will not be able to attend AC Oulu’s home matches in the future. According to the law, a final gate ban cannot be imposed, but the access of the spectator in question to the games is considered on a case-by-case basis.
CEO of AC Oulu Jani Kotikkanka according to the report, the size of the fine was surprising, because previously the fine for a similar case was 400 euros.
– But we don’t complain, we pay the fine. We have already introduced significant additional means to eradicate racism from the stands, such as a reporting number for match events, says Kotikangas.
Home teams at the main league level of the Finnish Football Association have been fined for racist chants in the past. The amounts of the fines vary from 500 to 1,000 euros.