St Andrews: Home of Birmingham City(credit:
Wikipedia)
The Football Association will investigate the crowd trouble that marred Wednesday night’s Carling Cup quarter-final between Birmingham City and Aston Villa.
Blues snatched a 2-1 victory over their fierce rivals and following the final whistle hundreds of home supporters invaded the pitch and ran towards the Villa supporters.
Flares and missiles were thrown as police were forced to intervene at St Andrews, with Blues manager Alex McLeish later branding the incident a return to the “dark ages” of football violence in the 70s and 80s.
An FA statement read: “We wholly condemn the actions of any individuals who have been involved in the scenes of disorder at St Andrews.
“The FA abhors acts of violent behaviour and we urge the clubs and authorities to identify any individuals involved in the disorder and impose the stiffest available sanctions, including banning orders.
“The FA will fully investigate the matter in conjunction with the appropriate authorities.
“The whole of English football has worked hard to eradicate scenes of disorder from our game.
“Home Office figures this week showing a significant drop in arrests at the many thousands of football matches held every week, the majority of which still pass trouble free.”