Georgian Football Federation fined in response to poor fan behavior during match with Armenia
By Xandie (Alexandra) Kuenning and Nate Ostiller
OC Media
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has fined the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) €40,000 ($44,000) and ordered one home match to be played without an audience following bad behavior by Georgian fans during a match against Armenia held on 23 March in Tbilisi.
The ban on fan attendance will only apply to the first home match of the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League season, meaning it will not affect the World Cup Qualifiers.
The UEFA decision also includes a two-year probationary period. If similar violations occur within that time period, Georgia’s national football team will again be banned from having fans attend their matches.
During the match in March, Georgian fans stormed the pitch, and engaged in a variety of other behavior, including the use of lasers and fireworks, deemed to have been aimed at antagonizing the Armenian fans attending the game.
‘Such behavior toward the visiting team’s supporters is unacceptable. Because of this entirely unacceptable action, we insulted the visiting team’s fans and also prevented our national team from celebrating the victory with their loyal supporters’, said GFF President Levan Kobiashvili in a statement issued at the time.
‘Such conduct damages football and tarnishes our country’s international image. This incident could lead to sanctions from UEFA, ultimately harming our national team and Georgian football fans’, he added.
Georgia’s fifth President Salome Zourabichvili also apologized for the disruption and bad behavior at the match.
This is not the first time the GFF has been fined for poor fan behavior.
In November 2024, the UEFA Disciplinary Committee fined the GFF a total of €56,000 ($62,000) for disciplinary violations — including the blocking of passageways and the use of lasers — at a Georgia–Albania match. The UEFA additionally imposed a partial stadium closure, which was suspended for a probationary period of two years.
Prior to that, in July of the same year, the GFF was fined €30,000 ($33,000) after fighting broke out between Georgian and Turkish fans inside the Dortmund BVB Stadion ahead of a match between the respective countries on 18 June. In this case, the Turkish side was also fined a lesser sum of €25,000 ($28,000).
