The key facts
- UEFA fined Finland €30 thousand: €10 thousand for a breach of order during the playing of the anthems and €20 thousand for a political banner
- The incident took place on 29 September in Helsinki; fans had agreed a different poster sketch with the organisers, but displayed an altered version at the stadium
- The match ended 0:0; in the return leg on 6 October Belarus won 1:0 thanks to Artyom Shumansky's goal in the 15th second
Fine for banner and whistling
The Union of European Football Associations has fined the Football Association of Finland 30 thousand euros over the behaviour of fans during a Nations League match against Belarus. This was reported by the Football Federation of Belarus, according to Life.ru. The decision was made on 9 October: 10 thousand euros was imposed for a breach of order during the playing of the anthems, and another 20 thousand for the display of messages not in keeping with the nature of a sporting event.
What happened in Helsinki
The incident took place on 29 September in Helsinki before the start of the second-round group-stage Nations League match. Finnish fans greeted the playing of the Belarusian anthem with whistling, and during the game they unfurled a large poster depicting an owl attacking a cockroach with the face of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. The owl was a reference to the symbol of the Finnish national team, and the banner carried an inscription in Finnish that can be translated as 'Your day will come.' The action was accompanied by political chanting.
The sketch passed inspection, the banner did not
As the Finnish outlet Yle found out, the fans had agreed a different version of the poster with the organisers in advance: the sketch submitted for inspection contained no political message, but at the stadium itself the fans displayed an altered banner. After the match, the Football Federation of Belarus filed a complaint with UEFA's disciplinary bodies, pointing to the display of political materials and the breach of order during the playing of the national anthem.
Context of the two-legged tie
The match in Helsinki itself ended in a goalless draw — 0:0; both teams play in the first group of League C. In the return leg on 6 October in Budapest, Belarus won 1:0: the winning goal was scored in the 15th second by Tolyatti Akron forward Artyom Shumansky. The Belarusian team played its 'home' match at a neutral venue due to UEFA restrictions.
