Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield United fined after mass confrontation
According to an impartial Regulatory Commission, Sheffield United must pay £180,000, while Argyle must pay £7,500.
Plymouth Argyle was fined £7,500, while Sheffield United was fined £180,000 for the major altercation that followed the teams’ Championship game at Home Park last month, which was televised on Sky.
Following accusations that both clubs had neglected to ensure that their players and/or technical area staff did not act inappropriately or provocatively following the final whistle, an independent regulatory commission made this ruling.
After the relegation-threatened Pilgrims overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat the promotion-chasing Blades 2-1 thanks to late goals from Ryan Hardie and substitute Muhamed Tijani, tensions were running high.
After the final whistle, United manager Chris Wilder assembled his team on the pitch to address them while Argyle’s players celebrated their win in front of the Green Army.
Then, when Mustapha Bundu and Darko Gyabi, two Pilgrims, were making their way to the tunnel near United’s travelling fans, Wilder had an argument with them. when a result, there was pushing and shoving as both sides made their way to their changing rooms.
The Football Association announced this afternoon the ruling and written justifications of the independent Regulatory Commission, which explain the significant disparity in fines between Sheffield United and Argyle.
In the ‘Discussion and Decision on Sanction’ section, they said: “The Commission watched the numerous films of the fixture’s conclusion and the mass confrontation itself, and they recalled themselves of the documentary evidence that was presented to them beforehand.
“The Commission considered this was a serious mass confrontation, by virtue of the large number of participants involved and its location within a narrow tunnel. Had this mass confrontation escalated to violent conduct, it would have been difficult to disperse compared to an on-field incident.
“The Commission considered the roles of both PAFC and SUFC in the lead up and during the mass confrontation. The Commission noted that PAFC in their submissions have stated that SUFC had a higher degree of culpability than they did, due to the actions of the SUFC manager, Chris Wilder.
“They point to three actions of Mr Wilder that contributed to the mass confrontation: (a) Mr Wilder was undertaking an on field debrief which was unusual and provocative. (b) Mr Wilder approached two PAFC players, MB (Bundu) and DG (Gyabi) when they were celebrating and was overtly aggressive; and (c) Mr Wilder was aggressive in the tunnel.
“The Commission note that whilst it is unusual for a protracted on-field debrief, Mr Wilder’s actions cannot be considered as unduly provocative. However, the Commission did find from the video evidence that Mr Wilder did act provocatively with the PAFC players, MB and DG who were simply celebrating their win.
“The Commission considered that Mr Wilder’s actions contributed to increased tension between the players in the lead up to the mass confrontation and was unnecessary.
“In relation to the mass confrontation itself, the Commission did not find that any one side were more culpable than the other and did not make any finding in relation to Mr Wilder’s conduct in the tunnel. The Commission considered that there were a large number of players involved, but the mass confrontation itself was relatively short, and was non-violent.
“Turning to sanction, the Commission considered the position of PAFC first. They considered a starting point for sanction, before considering the aggravating features in this case to include the large number of players involved, and their previous E20 breaches for the current season and five preceding season which were as follows:
(a) Stoke City FC- Championship-20/4/2024- £5,000 fine
(b) Bolton Wanderers FC- EFL League 1- 07/01/2023-£2,500 fine
(c) Lincoln City FC- EFL League 1- 02/10/2021- £2,500 fine
“The Commission applied an upward adjustment to sanction in light of the aggravating features. The Commission then considered PAFC’s mitigation, including acceptance of the charges at first opportunity, their cooperation with The FA’s investigation and their remorse, and applied a downward adjustment to the sanction based on those mitigating factors. Accordingly, the Commission imposed a fine of £7,500 on PAFC.
“The Commission then considered SUFC’s sanction. They considered a starting point for sanction, before considering the aggravating features. This includes SUFC’s significant disciplinary history which includes seven proven E20 breaches for the current season and five preceding seasons. This included five non-standard breaches since the start of the season. The breaches are as follows;
(a) Norwich City FC- Championship-22/10/2022-£7,500
(b) Bristol City FC-Championship-01/11/2022- £15,000
(c) Wrexham AFC-13/08/2024-£8,500
(d) Watford FC-01/09/2024- £17,000
(e) Portsmouth FC- 28/09/2024- £40,000
(f) Coventry City FC- 23/11/2024- £80,000
(g) Bristol City FC-11/03/2025-£120,000
“The Commission found this very concerning and significantly aggravating, with previous penalties applied having little effect on changing behaviours within the club. The Commission also considered a significant aggravating feature was Mr Wilder’s conduct, which the Commission considers was provocative and a contributory cause of the mass confrontation. The Commission accordingly applied a significant upward adjustment to the starting point.
“The Commission then considered mitigating factors. The Commission considered the acceptance at first opportunity, cooperation with The FA’s investigation and apology were all to be credited in mitigation and applied a downward adjustment. Accordingly, the Commission imposed a fine of £180,000 on SUFC.”
