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Arsenal have been fined €2,250 (£1,947) by UEFA following fan incidents during the club’s Champions League last-16 tie against Bayer Leverkusen earlier this season.
The sanction relates to the “lighting of fireworks” by Arsenal supporters during the first leg in Germany, where flares were lit in violation of UEFA regulations. The Gunners drew 1-1 in that match before securing a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium to progress to the quarter-finals.
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Kai Havertz scored a crucial late penalty in the first leg to level the tie on aggregate, setting up Arsenal’s progression to face Sporting in the next round.
Multiple clubs sanctioned
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Arsenal were not alone in receiving UEFA punishment from that tie. Sporting have been hit with a larger fine of €2,750 (£2,380) for the throwing of objects by their fans during the home leg against the Gunners.
That quarter-final match finished 1-0 to Sporting, but a goalless second leg in north London saw Arsenal qualify for the Champions League semi-finals in successive seasons for the first time in the club’s history.
According to the Evening Standard, several other English clubs have also faced UEFA sanctions during this season’s knockout stages. Tottenham received a €10,000 (£8,657) fine for a late kick-off in their 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid, plus a warning for “improper conduct of the team” after five starting players were booked.
PSG face heaviest penalties
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Paris Saint-Germain have received the most significant fines despite their comfortable 8-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the last-16. The French champions were penalized €10,000 (£8,657) for crowd disturbances in the second leg at Stamford Bridge and an additional €5,000 (£4,329) for lighting fireworks.
This came on top of a €6,250 (£5,411) fine PSG had already received for fireworks during the home leg of the tie.
Arsenal’s relatively modest fine reflects the minor nature of the infringement compared to other incidents across the competition. The north London side will be focused on their upcoming Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, with the first leg taking place next Wednesday in the Spanish capital.