In the Black Country derby, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat West Bromwich Albion by two goals to nil in the FA Cup fourth round match played this Sunday, but only after the match was interrupted due to clashes between fans of both teams in the stands and invasion of the playing field. It had been a decade since they had met in official competition.
Wolves scored 0-2, thanks to Matheus Cunha, in the 78th minute and immediately afterwards several objects were thrown towards one end of the field where the visiting fans were located, triggering a fight between both fans in a corner of The Hawthorns stadium. ; while some local fans were invading the field. The police and stadium security stopped the situation, but it was a desperate task for almost forty minutes.
The FA (The Football Association, in English) described the disturbance as "completely unacceptable" which ended with several injuries, some of them treated on the field, and five arrests.
"Safety is of paramount importance, and the behavior of those involved was dangerous and inexcusable," the FA said in a statement. "We will investigate these serious incidents together with the relevant clubs and authorities, and appropriate action will be taken," the note adds.
In this sense, the local team, West Brom, said that they would collaborate with the police and the Federation in the investigation. "Anyone involved in the disorder will be subject to a ban from the Club, in addition to a possible criminal investigation," the club said in a statement.
Among the tumult, several local fans emerged and invaded the field, forcing the players to leave the field of play. But first, without ensuring that their families who were located very close to the fight were safe. Baggies defender Kyle Bartley entered the stands, rescued his family and accompanied them to the locker room tunnel.
After a suspension of around 38 minutes, the players returned and the match resumed without further incident, with the clock restarted at 77 minutes and 10 seconds, the moment when Matheus Cunha scored Wolves' second goal.
Tension characterized the entire match. After Wolverhampton's first goal, the home fans had already thrown firecrackers towards the visiting field and objects were thrown at the visiting stands and at player Tommy Doyle, as he was preparing to take a corner. West Brom captain Jed Wallace admitted on ITV television that this event became a dark stain on English football: "A lot of players were distraught because where the chaos broke out was where their families were sitting," he said. "They were worried about them, that's why they started running towards the stands. Nobody wants to see something like that in football."
Wolves coach Gary O'Neil called the disturbance "really disappointing." "Up to that point it was a good game with a good atmosphere," O'Neil told ITV, although police had rated it high risk days earlier. Already at a press conference he added that "the way people behave in football is really important and we need to look at that, make sure everyone is safe. It was really sad to see."
