Liverpool fans could suffer if UEFA punishes Spartak Moscow for supporters' behaviour by forcing Reds to play behind closed doors in Russia
- UEFA have been urged not to punish Liverpool fans for faults of Spartak Moscow
- Euro bigwigs set to meet to decide how to penalise the Russian club this week
- Option is to force Moscow club to play next home fixture behind closed doors
- Next game is against the Reds but many fans have already made travel plans
UEFA have been urged not to punish Liverpool fans for the faults of Spartak Moscow when they decide how to penalise the Russian club this week.
Spartak are facing serious charges after a fan fired a flare on to the pitch during their Champions League draw against Maribor on Wednesday night, narrowly missing the referee.
They will find out their fate on Thursday – five days ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Spartak – but the Group E game being played behind closed doors is among the possible outcomes.
UEFA have been urged not to punish Liverpool fans for the faults of Spartak Moscow
‘We’d urge UEFA to consider those Liverpool fans who have committed to travelling to Russia when making any decision on the Spartak Moscow case,’ the Football Supporters Federation told Sportsmail.
‘We remain opposed to collective punishments such as stadium closures as they punish the many for the actions of a few. In this case completely innocent away fans who could potentially be left severely out of pocket.’
Liverpool will now await the outcome of UEFA’s hearing on September 21. The Premier League club have contacted European football’s governing body about the potential effect the disciplinary proceedings will have on their fans.
Spartak's Denis Glushakov looks on as fans of his club light flares against Maribor in Slovenia
Should Spartak be slapped with a full stadium ban, it would not be the first time that an English club has paid the price for a Moscow club’s punishment.
Manchester City had no away fans at their game against CSKA Moscow in the Russian capital in 2014 because of the previous racist behaviour of the home side’s fans.
Liverpool have 1,145 tickets available to their supporters, which went on sale as planned on Friday.
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