Barber wait on UEFA to take action

Barber

BRIGHTON chief executive Paul Barber has called for UEFA to take action after ugly scenes in their Europa League clash on Thursday in Rome.

The Seagulls lost 4-0 to Roma but club officials took the UEFA delegate to their corner of the ground to show him how the travelling fans were being treated by the home crowd, with reports of coins, bottles and lighters all being used as missiles and hurled at the away support.

Barber, speaking ahead of Albion’s clash with Nottingham Forest today, said: “All we can do, and we have done, is to report it to the local authorities and the police, to UEFA.

“We actually took the UEFA delegate to the corner of the pitch to witness things being thrown at our fans.

“Our security staff literally led the UEFA delegate down to exactly where it was happening, asked him to film and take notes and we will see what happens.

“This gets reported time and time again and yet, time and time again, it continues to happen. I don’t know what the consequences will be for Roma.

“It’s sad because their executive team, their chief executive, their board are very nice people, very concerned about what happened and disappointed in their own fans, certainly small numbers of them.”

At his pre-match press conference yesterday, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “We have to make a check on Igor then we have to analyse Danny Welbeck, Julio Enciso and Tariq Lamptey because they might not be able to play in the first XI after Thursday. Maybe they can play in the second half or part of game.

“Joao Pedro and James Milner I hope will be back.”