January 28, (THEWILL) – Football fans’ violence brought the FA Cup fourth-round tie between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers to a halt on Sunday. The derby grudge match, being held at West Brom’s Hawthorns stadium, was stopped for 38 minutes as fighting broke out in the stands.
The fierce rivalry between the two Black Country clubs meant the match was identified as high-risk, with an early kick-off time implemented to try to reduce the potential for crowd trouble. However, that was not enough to prevent ugly scenes from marring the occasion. Missiles were reported to have been thrown between rival fans after Wolves’ second goal before spilling over into physical violence.
Players from both sides were forced to leave the pitch for their own safety, sheltering in the dressing rooms as security staff and police officers tried to restore order. One fan who managed to evade stewards and get onto the pitch had to be restrained, with the stadium announcer pleading for calm over the PA system.
When the players eventually returned nearly 40 minutes later, the match was able to resume with the score at 2-0 to Wolves. However, the fighting will leave a bitter aftertaste no matter what the final result. Club officials and the authorities have promised strong action against any individuals identified as being involved.
The ugly scenes were described as “hugely disappointing” by the Football Association, who said it “overshadowed the game”. With growing fears over fan behaviour at matches, there will likely be calls for stronger measures to tackle hooliganism and violence. For now, though, the priority will be identifying and prosecuting those responsible for today’s disgraceful disorder.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
