Championship club release statement after Sunderland's rivals are fined £70k by FA

The fine pertains to scenes after play-off semi-final against Luton Town in the Championship last season on Monday 16 May 2022, with Huddersfield Town deemed to be in breach of FA Rule E20.1.

The FA has ruled that club failed to ensure its spectators “conducted themselves in an orderly fashion, and refrained from using provocative, threatening, and violent behaviour whilst encroaching onto the pitch.”

However, the sanction is subject to an appeal. Huddersfield Town’s operations director Ann Hough commented on the club’s website.

“The severity of this fine is a clear indication of just how serious the events following our play-off semi-final win against Luton,” she said. “Alongside other similar scenes across football in that time, have been taken by the governing bodies.

“We fully understand what a superb moment reaching the Play-Off Final was for our supporters and being able to celebrate together is a major part of being a fan. However, some individuals stepped way, way beyond that line on the evening.

“This is also why we constantly stress that nobody should be on the pitch other than the players and technical staff. There are genuine safety concerns about mass incursions of this nature, and the football authorities – and the Club – cannot stand by and wait until a serious injury occurs.

“We have no choice other than to take significant action against any individual that runs onto the field of play at any point, or who acts in a provocative, threatening, or violent way. That will range from bans from the John Smith’s Stadium to legal action. There is no place for that kind of behaviour at Huddersfield Town.

“On top of this significant fine, it is possible that this can also have financial knock-on effects on the Club’s policing and stewarding costs if our games are now judged to be higher risk than before. The financial impact should not be underestimated.

“The vast majority of our supporters are an absolute credit to the Club – I want to make that clear – but it is important that everyone understands the connotations of these events.”