Qarabag fined over fan racism in Chelsea youth game

Following racist abuse from at least one supporter in an Azerbaijani academy match against Chelsea, Qarabag’s youth team was fined €5,000 (£4, 379) by Uefa.

The youth team’s next Uefa competition game as the host club must be played behind closed doors, but the punishment is a year’s suspension.

Sol Gordon, 17, scored the opening goal in the 57th minute at the Baku Azersun Stadium as a group of fans ran down to confront the players in the sparsely watched game.

Eyewitnesses told BBB Sport that they saw and heard monkey gestures.

Players complained to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak, and coaching staff, including head coach Calum McFarlane, were involved in the discussions, which took place on November 5 and included coaching staff. The Uefa Youth League game was postponed for a few minutes.

Chelsea initially thought they might end the game, but they kept playing until the final whistle and won 5-0.

Chelsea acknowledged after the game that they had discussed the situation with Uefa and added: “We are proud of how our players and staff handled the situation, which included promptly reporting it to the referee, and we applaud those who handled it professionally and appropriately in accordance with Uefa protocols.”

A Qarabag spokesman apologized at the time, saying it “doesn’t represent the club’s values” and promising to conduct an extensive investigation.

During their 4-0 Champions League defeat at Arsenal on October 21, Atletico Madrid was fined and banned from the club’s supporters due to Nazi salutes and monkey gestures.