Leeds United may be set for FA fine after incident in 3-0 win v Watford
Leeds United could face yet another FA fine after a missile was seen thrown onto the pitch in their 3-0 Elland Road victory against Watford.
As reported by Leeds Live (23 September), referee Jeremy Simpson had to remove a missile that landed on the pitch 38 minutes into the clash, with television replays suggesting it was an e-cigarette device.
The club had to foot a £150,000 bill from the FA after sustained homophobic chants were heard from Leeds fans when Brighton played at Elland Road last season, while a £25,000 fine was issued in September 2022 after an incident against Barnsley in the League Cup lead to confrontation between players from both clubs.
In light of the incident on Saturday (23 September) against the Hornets, Leeds could have to reach into their pockets again and hand more unnecessary money to the FA.
While many clubs have to pay fines to the FA for various reasons, often inappropriate chanting from fans or the club’s inability to control staff, Leeds have faced their fair share of penalties.
The Athletic reported (21 April) that money paid to the FA from Premier League and EFL clubs totalled £2.6million last season, most of which were for violations of Rule E20, “which broadly outlines that it is a club’s responsibility to ensure players, staff and supporters behave accordingly.”
The Whites are certainly not the worst offenders among English clubs, with Everton forking out £415,000 worth of fines last season, but the club will be keen to reduce their fines drastically.
The incident at Elland Road against Watford was, fortunately, inconsequential in terms of player and supporter safety but the club will be frustrated that a spectator at the game today could hand them another fine.
Time will tell, and this offence is nowhere near the worst sanctionable incident in the last 12 months, but such money could definitely be better spent elsewhere and certainly put a slight dampener on the triumphant victory.
In other Leeds United news, a Sky Sports pundit has raved over one player’s performance against Watford.