Fighting which erupted between rival fans at Tannadice during a Europa Cup tie between Dundee United and Dinamo Moscow last year “tarnished the reputation of the club and the city of Dundee throughout Europe,” a senior club employee has told a court.
Club secretary Spence Anderson told a jury that United had been fined a total of 17,000 euros by UEFA following two incidents during the game on Thursday August 2, the second of which involved a supporter who had run on to the field to celebrate after United had scored.
The court heard that Russian fans tried to climb up into the upper tier of the Jim McLean Fair Play stand after being pelted by coins thrown from the upper tier, which was populated by home fans.
Seven Dundee United fans were arrested and charged with fighting and the trial before Sheriff Tom Hughes and the jury began in the city on Thursday.
Darren John Elder, 23, of Broadford Terrace; David Edward Mark Lawson, 26, of Grampian Gardens; Sean Duffy, 24, of Muirfield Crescent; Greg Campbell, 29, of Finavon Place; Kevin Drummond, 32, no fixed abode; Rory Mulligan, 30, of Findowrie Street and Dale Kelly, 24, of Byron Terrace, all deny that on August 2 2012, at Tannadice Park, they engaged in behaviour likely to incite public disorder.
It is alleged they repeatedly threw unknown items from the upper tier of the Fair Play Stand on to persons below, then engaged in a stand-up fight with a number of opposing fans.
All bar Lawson have entered a special defence that their actions were in defence of the elderly, women and children who were attending the match.
Mr Anderson told depute fiscal Vicky Bell the decision to house the slightly less than 200 Dinamo Moscow fans directly below the United fans was based on the security model of a previous European tie against AEK Athens which, he said, had worked quite “successfully”.
Cross examined by solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, for Duffy, Mr Anderson said that the 2,000-capacity West Stand, or “Shed”, which is completely segregated from the other stands, was used for away fans only when the likes of the Old Firm, Dundee and Aberdeen visited clubs who could fill it.
“It’s often used for United supporters,” he said.
He agreed that in addition to the safety of the fans, the decisions of where to put visiting supporters was also based on finance.
Steven Finnegan, who was working as a steward at the game, told the jury he heard what sounded like coins hitting the seats and assumed they had been thrown from the upper tier of the stadium.
He said he saw some Russian fans trying to climb up to the upper tier and ran to stop them, grabbing them and pulling them back, but being pushed from behind by other fans.
He said he was on his own and added: “I was quite shaky, it was frightening.”
He agreed a suggestion by Ross Donnelly, solicitor for Kelly, that, given the reputation of the Russian fans, he “didn’t think the seating arrangements were a very good idea”.
The trial continues.