AZ fined €50,000, has to limit attendance during Conference League match

European football association UEFA fined Dutch club team AZ a total of 50,000 euros because of fan behavior during the match against Portuguese team Gil Vicente in Alkmaar last month. During the first leg of the Conference League playoff, AZ fans were caught throwing objects on the field as the team played to a 4-0 victory, the disciplinary committee said. A portion of AFAS Stadion will also have to remain empty during the team’s next European competition match at their home stadium.

Back in March last season, AZ fans were accused of throwing objects on the field during the 2-2 draw against FK Bodø/Glimt in Alkmaar. UEFA fined the Dutch team €10,000 euros, and ordered a partial stadium closure affecting two sections. The latter was suspended, on the condition that no other incidents happened at the stadium for a period of two years.

Due to the incident in August, the punishment was reinstated and an additional section was added to the sanction, the committee said. As a result, sections W, X1 and X2 on the eastern stadium will be closed during the Alkmaar side’s second match in the Conference League group stage.

AZ begins with an away match against Ukrainian team Dnipro-1 in Košice, Slovakia on 8 September. They then host Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz at the AFAS Stadion on 15 September, the second matchday of the group stage. The UEFA sanction ordering the three sections to be empty applies to that match. The group also includes Apollon Limassol FC from Cyprus.

Coincidentally, the Norwegian team FK Bodø/Glimt will also play in the Netherlands this month. They take on PSV during a Europa League group stage match in Eindhoven on 8 September.