There has been a theme of trouble among football fans this week, and that was again the case in the recent match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Fenerbahce after supporters of the Turkish club set off multiple fireworks inside the ground.
As a result, the match was halted within seconds, although play was thankfully continued once the incident had been dealt with.
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Fenerbahce halted due to fireworks
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Crowd trouble halts match in seconds
Tensions were high ahead of an important clash for the two aforementioned sides, with both clubs and their supporters desperate to progress to the next round of the Europa Conference League.
Unfortunately, in what is becoming somewhat of a trend this week, that tension escalated and reached an unacceptable climax as fans of the away side set off multiple fireworks in the stands, causing the match to be stopped in mere seconds.
Passion among fans is of course necessary, and indeed celebrated by many when displayed in an acceptable manner, but that was not the case in this match. Although fireworks do make for great photos and do generate an intimidating atmosphere, they are a severe risk to life when used within football stadiums.
A history of firework trouble in Turkey
Turkish football fans are famous for being some of the most passionate in the entire sport, often helping their sides become feared destinations in European competitions. Galatasaray, for example, is an away tie that even Real Madrid supporters would rather avoid.
However, as with all sets of fans, that passion does occasionally lead to unacceptable scenes, and there is a history of fireworks being used at football matches in the country. In 2022 for example, a derby between fierce rivals Goztepe and Altay was halted after just 19 minutes due to sections of the home crowd launching fireworks at the away section of the stadium
Unfortunately, that is not an isolated incident, and the following year, in 2023, a section of the Galatasary fanbase made the decision to attempt to disrupt the Copenhagen players ahead of a European clash between the two sides by setting off fireworks outside the Danish team's hotel.
On that occasion, the fans were actually at the wrong location, but it does once again highlight just how widespread the use of fireworks is in Turkish football.