Skendija has won the Macedonian football cup but it will need to pay a high price given the fact that its supporters known as the 'Balists', were literally raging in the Phillip II Arena in Skopje during and after the match with Rabotnicki, Telegraf.mk has learnt.
The Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) is expected to file a motion to the disciplinary committee to review the case involving the Tetovo-based team, which will have to answer for this type of behavior expressed by its supporters. At least, this is what the rulebook says, i.e. that each team is responsible for the conduct of its fans, regardless if the team is domestic or comes from abroad.
First, the Skendija supporters who attended the game from the stadium's stands ridiculed the Macedonian national anthem, and then cheered on national grounds. They were reprimanded a number of times by the official speaker, but those efforts were in vain, and did not succeed in calming the supporters down. The Skendija proponents then put up a shameful sign, blaming all state institutions, calling Macedonia FYROM, and criticizing the media, the referees and the FFM.
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During the second half, the so-called Balists lit several hundreds of torches, which they then threw on the field - a move that led to the suspension of the game for around ten minutes.
However, the peak of their indecent conduct was the demolition of the Phillip II Arena stands as they celebrated the victory of their team. Chairs were broken and a considerable tangible damage was caused. The athletic trail was also deteriorated due to the burning torches and the paper strips that were previously set on fire. Therefore, the question arises as who let the Balists carry torches and lit them on the stands of the biggest stadium in Macedonia, given that all pyrotechnic paraphernalia is prohibited.
All these expenses caused by the damages will need to be compensated by the Skendija club, and it will also need to pay a fine for the behavior of its supporters. The team featured the game as guests and it could face a penalty involving starting next season by playing matches without an audience, i.e. playing several games in front of empty stands.
At the same time, the game against Rabotnici proved that delicate matches, such as those played between Skendija and Vardar, took place without the teams' supporters with a good justification. The Monday evening match was held without many supporters coming from the lines of Rabotnicki's fans, known as the 'Romantics', but an incident occurred nonetheless. What would have happened if the finals saw a game between Vardar and a different supporter group was cheering on the stands, which are known for their violent outbursts?
This is the main reason why the derbies of the main football teams in Macedonia are held without a large presence of their supporters.
These days the fines will be issued, but having into consideration what took place on Monday evening at the Phillip II Arena in Skopje, they will need to be high and born by the cup's winner, in order to put an end to this chaos.
Skendija will also need to play the international games this summer, part of the Europe's League, on the same stadium. If the Balists continue to act in this manner, UEFA will not pardon them. The European football management body will fine perpetrators without excluding any culprits. A lit torch yields serious consequences, not to mention hundreds of those thrown onto the field, which was the case on Monday in Skopje.