Uncertain prospects

The Cypriot team has managed to enter the last 16 of the finals of the Champions League. APOEL has lost no matches in its group and entered the playoff round. Zenit was dominating throughout the game but failed to score any goals. Its fate will be resolved by the match with Porto (Portugal).

But the game was made remarkable for the fan's behavior. They started lighting firecrackers and the referee had to stop the match in the first half of the game. During the second half the referee had to remove the teams from the field due to all the smoke. Zenit could have faced sanctions from UEFA if the match had not resumed.

According to the Champions League rules, a club that fails to end a match is automatically defeated. The club also has to pay a fine of 250,000 euros.

The UEFA Disciplinary Committee may take other measures. According to article 19 of its disciplinary regulations, the club may also have a match without spectators, in a closed stadium, the match may be hosted by another state or the club may be banned from further games.

The Zenit coach expressed sorrow at the behavior of the fans.

Zenit halfback Roman Shirkov told NTV-Plus that he approached the stand to prevent the technical defeat.
Zenit FC made an official statement due to the incident at the Petrovsky Stadium. The club announced a break in the partnership between the fans and the team.

Zenit reminded that they tried to make things easier for the fans by simplifying security measures. The club has a practice of banning violators from stadiums. Over 500 incidents of violations were registered.

Zenit security and the police, supervised by the UEFA and the Russian Football Union, will investigate the incident and pass more strict measures for examination of fans. Zenit FC expressed apologies to the coach and football players.