Derry City penalised by Uefa in wake of CSKA Sofia crowd trouble
The club faces a €20k penalty and warns unruly supporters of permanent stadium bans following safety breaches
Derry City FC has been hit with a €20,000 fine and a partial closure of North Stand following crowd disturbances during their recent European clash at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. The sanctions stem from incidents during their home European match against CSKA Sofia on July 16 2026.
UEFA Appeals Body imposed a fine and an order directing the partial closure of North Stand at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium for one home UEFA club competition.
The partial closure of the North Stand is suspended for a probationary period of two years.
The club fully accepts the decision and has launched an immediate investigation to identify the individuals responsible.
In an official statement a spokesperson for Derry City FC said: “These penalties have been imposed on Derry City FC arising from crowd disturbances during its match against CSKA Sofia on July 16 2026.
“While Derry City FC complained to UEFA about the aggressive and intimidatory behaviour of the CSKA Sofia supporters, the club accepted that its own supporters had thrown objects onto the field of play and that one of its supporters had entered the field of play and approached the CSKA goalkeeper, before being returned to the stand by security personnel.
“Derry City FC fully accepts the decision of the UEFA Appeals Body. Derry City FC is committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that home matches are played in an environment that is safe for players and supporters alike.
“An investigation is underway to identify those supporters of Derry City FC who were involved in these incidents and who ultimately caused the club to incur this fine. Once identified, the Club will take appropriate steps to sanction these supporters, including the possibility of a lifetime ban from the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.”
Separately, CSKA Sofia has apologised to Derry City FC for the damage caused to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium by its supporters. CSKA Sofia has agreed to cover the cost of remediating this damage and Derry City FC is liaising with CSKA Sofia on this issue.