FC St. Gallen lost 2-4 in the Conference League against AC Fiorentina. The game is characterized by smoke and game disruption as Italian fans cross borders.
Florentine fans fog up St. Gallen.
AC Fiorentina is not a zero number. The fifth-placed Serie A team lost the 2024 Conference Series final against Olympiacos Piraeus 0-1 a few months ago. On Thursday evening he was too big, too fast and too durable for FC St. Gallen and won 4-2, although he did not command the senior team on the field.
The Italian clubs are trying to end together in Switzerland. Inter Milan in the Champions League in Bern against YB (1-0) and a day later Fiorentina in St Gallen. Neither of them stumbles.
Switzerland’s representatives lose in the European Cup and find themselves at the bottom of the table. As mitigating circumstances, it should be said that YB and St. Gallen has so far only faced a strong opponent. Aston Villa, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Cercle Brugge, AC Fiorentina. 0 points, 4:19 goals. Fortunately, FC Lugano is keeping the flags high in the Conference League: a 3-0 opening win against HJK Helsinki and a 1-0 win on Thursday in the Czech Republic against Mlada Boleslav.
Detonate a deafening fire
In St. Gallen the spectators see six goals, but also a lot of smoke. This game also turns out to be a pyro game as the Italians’ curve lives up to their dubious reputation. The first longer break in the game continues after 10 minutes. Torches and fire in the curve, two painfully loud firecrackers – and smoke, always smoke.
A second break (smoke) follows, which is why the first half lasts 6 minutes longer. But that’s not enough of Italy’s Zeuseln. Flares flying in the 53rd minute, the fire department had to put out the fire. Smoke. In the 57th minute there were fireworks, this time not on the pitch but in the sky. After the 70th minute, two more explosions, smoke – and the referee interrupted the game again. The same loudspeaker announces about not lighting fires. Talks. Encouragement on the sidelines among the officers.
Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi goes to the corner, tries to appease and comes back after a few seconds. According to Lukas Görtler, captain of FC St Gallen, the referee announced that both teams would go to the dressing rooms in the next incident. In this heated atmosphere, the fans of St. Gallen repeated: “Fiorentina, vaffanculo.” Maybe the stadium will burn down at some point.
After Biraghi’s intervention, some calm returns. The incidents do not result in an injury time of less than 9 minutes. The game is over. In the main stand, some Fiorentina supporters are filming the smoking curve. Fascination? An Italian audience shakes its head. The question he was asked: “Is this normal?” His answer: “No, because it’s usually worse.”
St. Gallen received a fine of 45,000 euros
An unusual European Cup evening in St. Gallen. Police here, police there. Police in the city. Before the game, after the game. A reminder of the European Cup match St. Gallen in Bruges at the beginning of October. Then, fans of Eastern Switzerland set off so many pyrotechnics and fireworks in the stadium that European football association Uefa fined the club 45,000 euros. Including damage to property.
FC St. Gallen also two years probation. If a fire occurs again, the host sector will be closed. So not attending a European Cup match in a foreign country. Or just in a roundabout way.
AC Fiorentina is a repeat offender. After the final of the 2024 Conference Series in Athens, UEFA punished the behavior of its fans (riots, damage to property, 28 broken seats, pyrotechnics) with 35,000 euros. In addition, she was not allowed to sell tickets for the first European away game. And: The Florentines have been playing on probation for two years since the Conference Series final.
A sweet 4-2 win in St. Gallen’s smoke will have a disciplinary effect.