THE FA have been slapped with a £25,000 fine for a number of ‘disturbances’ that took place during England’s Euro 2020 semi-final with Denmark – including the shining of a laser in Kasper Schmeichel’s eye.
England booked their place in the final of the competition with a 2-1 victory over the Danes at Wembley.
But UEFA promptly opened disciplinary action against the FA for a number of incidents that took place before and during the match – including a fan shining a laser pointer in Schmeichel’s eye moments before Harry Kane’s spot-kick.
And European football’s governing body have subsequently hit the FA with a £25k penalty.
Fan’s deployment of flares before the match also played a part in UEFA’s decision to sanction the English governing body.
The booing of the Danish national anthem from some Three Lions fans also prompted disciplinary action.
In their written reasons for the charge, UEFA called the booing a ‘disturbance caused by its supporters during the national anthem.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those to condemn the small minority’s actions.
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A spokesperson for the PM said: “We don’t want fans to be booing teams.
“We want fans to be showing support and being respectful.
“Uefa are looking into that, that’s a matter for them but it’s not something we would want to see.”
Victory over the Danes saw Gareth Southgate’s side set up a mouth-watering final against Italy.
And former England international Gary Lineker has urged fans not to boo the Italian anthem.
He said: “If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket for the final, please, please don’t boo the Italian anthem.
“It’s an absolute belter and worth listening to. It’s bloody rude, disrespectful and utterly classless.”
The win over Denmark saw Southgate exorcise the ghosts of Euro 1996, in which he missed the crucial penalty in The Three Lions’ semi-final shootout with Germany.
After the final whistle, he said: “I’m so proud of the players. It’s an incredible occasion to be a part of – we knew it wouldn’t be straightforward.
“We said to the players we’ll have to show our resilience and come back from some setbacks, and we’ve done that tonight.
“The most pleasing thing is that we’ve given our fans and our nation a fantastic night, and the journey continues on for another four days.
“There’s one more massive hurdle to try to conquer. Italy are a very good side.
“They’ve shown outstanding form and have defensive warriors at the back who have been through everything. It’s something to look forward to.”
