UEFA slap Besiktas with £30,000 fine after cat invasion delays Champions League match against Bayern Munich
- Besiktas handed fine for ‘insufficient organisation’ after a cat invaded their pitch
- Michael Oliver was forced to stop play in the second half against Bayern Munich
- Bayern Munich also fined for pitch invader during semi-final tie with Real Madrid
Turkish club Besiktas have been fined £30,000 by UEFA after a cat sneaked onto the pitch during the home leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Bayern Munich in March.
European football’s governing body charged Besiktas with ‘insufficient organisation’ after referee Michael Oliver had to stop play in the second half against Bayern when a cat slipped past security and onto the pitch.
UEFA said in a statement that Besiktas were also penalised for fans throwing objects and stairways being blocked at the Vodafone Park stadium in Istanbul.
A cat caused a significant delayed after it ran onto the pitch during a Champions League tie
German champions Bayern won the match 3-1 to go through to the quarter-finals with a 8-1 aggregate victory, beating Spanish club Sevilla before losing to eventual winners Real Madrid in the last four.
Bayern were also handed a fine of £22,000 for a separate incident in their semi-final clash with Real Madrid after a fan invaded the pitch and an illicit banner was held up in the stands.
Roma were also warned over their future conduct after ball boys were found to have deliberately wasted time in their Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.
A pitch invader is subdued by stewards after invading the pitch at the Allianz Arena in April
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