Danish fan fined for attacking referee in 2007
Reuters - Tuesday 10 January 2012, 14:19
A Danish football fan has
been ordered to pay 1.87 million Danish crowns ($320,300) in
damages for attacking a referee during Denmark's Euro 2008
qualifier against Sweden in June 2007.
The 33-year-old man must pay the sum to the Danish Football
Association (DBU), the High Court in Copenhagen ruled on
Tuesday.
The fan had appealed against a 2009 decision by the
Copenhagen City Court which had ordered him to pay the DBU
900,000 crowns, but the High Court doubled the amount.
"The person in question's acts represent the biggest attack
on Danish football's integrity," Jim Stjerne Hansen,
secretary-general of the DBU, said in a statement.
"His violent assault on the referee cost us an almost
spotless reputation within the football world and 2.2 million
crowns," Hansen said.
The match on June 2 2007, at the Parken Stadium in
Copenhagen was abandoned in the final minutes when the fan
rushed on to the field and tried to hit German referee Herbert
Fandel who had just sent off Denmark's Christian Poulsen and
awarded the guests a penalty with the score at 3-3.
UEFA later awarded Sweden a 3-0 victory, and the loss to
Sweden meant that Denmark failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
The DBU had sought 2.2 million crowns in damages after it
was fined by UEFA and Denmark were banned from playing their
next two qualifiers at Parken.
The court's award was lower than the DBU's claim because the
court deemed the number of spectators who would have attended a
match against Lichtenstein to be lower than the DBU's estimate.
The DBU said it was willing to discuss reducing the fine
with the fan, whose name has not been released by officials. He
has said he would be bankrupt if he had to pay.
Danish football fans have created groups on social network
Facebook to raise funds to help the fan pay the damages. Poulsen
has also said he would be willing to contribute financially 'as
it was basically my fault'.
In 2007, the fan was convicted of attempted assault and
trespassing and given a suspended 30-day jail sentence, which
was reduced to 20 days on appeal.
The fan admitted he was drunk
and entered the pitch illegally, but rejected the violence
charge.