FA Cup local derby suspended by fan disorder

The FA Cup match between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers at The Hawthorns on Sunday was temporarily suspended after fans entered the pitch following disorder in the stands.

Violence broke out among supporters after Wolves forward Mateus Cunha put the visitors from the Premier League 2-0 up. Police then entered the crowd, causing the referee to prevent the match from restarting.

A message on the screens inside the ground read: “Please return to your seats. Entering the field of play is a criminal offence.”

Wolves defender Craig Dawson attempted to calm supporters before the players and staff from both teams went down the tunnel as police sought to restore order inside the stadium.

West Brom defender Kyle Bartley was seen summoning his family down from the stands as the players left the field.

After a 38-minute break in play, the teams returned to the field as it was announced the game would resume with the clock reset to 77 minutes 10 seconds — the time that Cunha had scored Wolves’ second goal.

Bartley was substituted for Erik Pieters when the game resumed.

Pedro Neto had scored in the first half for Wolves who eventually booked their berth in the fifth round with the victory.

“Of course we are disappointed with any type of incident like that,” West Brom manager Carlos Corberan told ITV.

“Unfortunately, the game was interrupted by this incident and now, we are unable to talk about the atmosphere our fans created, we can’t talk about this aspect. We are totally disappointed by this.

“Everything before the incident was unbelievable, between both clubs it was very special and incidents like that we need to avoid.”

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said the disturbance was “really disappointing.”

“Up until that point it was a good tie with good atmosphere,” O’Neil told ITV. “How people behave at football is really important and we need to look at that, make sure everyone is safe. When we came back out the atmosphere had gone, it was really sad to see.

“I know that the West Brom players’ families were in that area which is a concern. I really hope everyone’s OK; I’m not really sure what stoked it. We got the fixture played without any more trouble happening.”

West Brom and Wolves are local rivals, with the teams’ respective stadiums located 11 miles apart in England’s west Midlands. The game is referred to as the Black Country derby.

The English Football Association said the the incident was “completely unacceptable” in a statement released after the game.

“Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable,” the statement read. “We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”

The delay prompted officials to push back the draw for the fifth round — originally scheduled for just before Liverpool‘s game against Norwich City at Anfield on Sunday — to halftime of that match.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.