Derry City and CSKA Sofia hit with €75,000 Uefa fines

Uefa has fined Derry City €20,000 and CSKA Sofia €55,000 following severe crowd disorder at their Europa League qualifier on 16 July. The penalties include suspended stadium bans that threaten future matchday revenues for both clubs.

European football’s governing body handed Derry City a suspended partial closure of Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, keeping the sanction active for a probationary period of two years. CSKA Sofia received an immediate one-match ban on travelling away supporters for their next European fixture, with a further away ban suspended for two years.

The disciplinary action follows a chaotic match that saw police deployed at the ground. Rival supporters engaged in aggressive confrontations in the stands, forcing spectators, including young children, to flee onto the pitch. The match was halted for 14 minutes before Derry City ultimately lost 2-1 and exited the competition.

For clubs navigating the financial realities of European competitions, these disciplinary measures underscore the heavy operational risks associated with crowd control. A suspended partial closure means Derry City must effectively operate under a two-year warning; any future incident would immediately trigger a loss of gate receipts from a section of their home ground.

CSKA Sofia faces a dual financial hit. Beyond the €55,000 fine, the Bulgarian club has been ordered by Uefa to reach a financial settlement with Derry City for stadium damage caused by its supporters. The cost of remediating that damage adds an unpredictable expense to the club’s European campaign budget.

Derry City said it had complained to Uefa about the "aggressive and intimidatory behaviour" of the visiting supporters but "fully accepted" its own punishment. The Northern Irish club stated an investigation is underway to identify the home fans involved, warning they face lifetime bans from the stadium.

CSKA Sofia has apologised to Derry City for the damage and agreed to cover the repair costs, with both sides currently liaising on the settlement figure. Derry City will look to move past the incident when they travel to face Croatian side HNK Rijeka in the Conference League second qualifying round on Thursday.