NYON, Switzerland (AP) Inter was ordered to play its next four European cup games in an empty stadium as punishment for the mayhem in the stands that forced the Champions League quarterfinal against Italian rival AC Milan to be abandoned.
Inter was fined the equivalent of nearly $250,000 by European soccer's governing body. UEFA also ruled that AC Milan won Tuesday night's game as a 3-0 forfeit, with the team advancing 5-0 on total goals. AC Milan, which won the first leg 2-0, will play PSV Eindhoven in the semifinals.
Inter's next four games in Europe Champions League or UEFA Cup must be played in a stadium without spectators. After that, if there is any crowd violence within three years, Inter will face the same stadium ban for two more games. UEFA's disciplinary body could have expelled the Italian club from European competition next season.
During the second half of the second-leg game at San Siro, Inter fans threw flares and bottles onto the field, forcing the game to be cut short with AC Milan leading 1-0. One of the flares injured Milan goalkeeper Dida.
Inter has a history of crowd trouble. UEFA ordered the club to play two games away from home in 2001 after a UEFA Cup game against Alaves was abandoned when Inter fans hurled seats and bottles onto the field.
No team has been thrown out of the Champions League, but Italy's Fiorentina was expelled from the 1998 UEFA Cup after a game official was injured by an explosive device thrown from the stands.
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Inter was fined the equivalent of nearly $250,000 by European soccer's governing body. UEFA also ruled that AC Milan won Tuesday night's game as a 3-0 forfeit, with the team advancing 5-0 on total goals. AC Milan, which won the first leg 2-0, will play PSV Eindhoven in the semifinals.
Inter's next four games in Europe Champions League or UEFA Cup must be played in a stadium without spectators. After that, if there is any crowd violence within three years, Inter will face the same stadium ban for two more games. UEFA's disciplinary body could have expelled the Italian club from European competition next season.
During the second half of the second-leg game at San Siro, Inter fans threw flares and bottles onto the field, forcing the game to be cut short with AC Milan leading 1-0. One of the flares injured Milan goalkeeper Dida.
Inter has a history of crowd trouble. UEFA ordered the club to play two games away from home in 2001 after a UEFA Cup game against Alaves was abandoned when Inter fans hurled seats and bottles onto the field.
No team has been thrown out of the Champions League, but Italy's Fiorentina was expelled from the 1998 UEFA Cup after a game official was injured by an explosive device thrown from the stands.
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<!--END MAIN CONTENT-->Associated Press
