Europa League: Sturm Graz under fire after official is left bloodied
Fan hits assistant referee with a cup in the tie between Sturm Graz and AEK Larnaca

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Austrian side Sturm Graz risk being thrown out of the Europa League after one of their fans threw an object at an assistant referee and cut his head during their home tie against Cypriot club AEK Larnaca last night.
Television footage shows a fan in the stand launch what appears to be a large plastic cup full of liquid. The incident happened in the 77th minute at the Merkur Arena and the object hit Swedish official Fredrik Klyver flush on the head, sending him reeling to the ground as blood poured from an ugly gash.
Both sides were taken off the field for 24 minutes as Klyver received treatment and he was eventually taken to hospital with his head heavily bandaged.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Stefan Johannesson, the head of the Swedish FA, expressed his surprise that the match was not abandoned. “It is Uefa who decides, but personally, I do not understand why they make such a decision [to continue],” he told reporters. “Had this happened in Sweden, we would have [abandoned the match].”
Larnaca won the tie 2-0 and the two sides meet in Cyprus for the second leg next Thursday – if the Austrians haven’t been expelled from the tournament.
The person who threw the cup was arrested and is expected to face criminal charges.
“This behaviour of a fan in today’s Uefa Europa League game is by no means acceptable,” said Sturm in a statement. “This damages the reputation of football and us as a club. We always try to see football as a positive celebration and to tackle these things.
“Fair play is our top priority. We are sorry that today we have disappointed many football fans. Sturm Graz wishes the linesman all the best and speedy recovery.”
Uefa have yet to make an official statement on the incident but the appalling footage of a bloodied and dazed match official beamed around the world is likely to result in a serious punishment for the Austrian side.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
All about Zealandia, the Earth’s potential 8th continent
The Explainer The secret continent went undiscovered for over 300 years
By Devika Rao Published
-
A reckoning over looted art
The Explainer Thousands of artifacts in U.S. and European collections were stolen from their countries of origin. Should they be sent back?
By The Week Staff Published
-
A surge in surge pricing
Feature And more of the week's best financial insight
By The Week Staff Published
-
Russia’s audacious bid for the Euros
Why Everyone’s Talking About Moscow’s move to host 2028 tournament has been dismissed as ‘trolling’ and ‘complete mischief making’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published