The pitch invasion by Reading fans that led to the abandonment of their League One match with Port Vale on Saturday is being investigated by the Football Association (FA), i understands.
There are fears the cash-strapped club could face a fine after supporters entered the pitch in the 16th minute in protest against owner Dai Yongge – the number 16 marking their total points deductions since November 2021.
Sheffield Wednesday were fined £50,000 in October by the FA after fans flooded the pitch last season, while Reading manager Ruben Selles worries the club could face a stadium ban.
“We know that there could be repercussions,” Selles said after the match. “A points deduction is unlikely, but it can happen. It could be that we play with an empty stadium for one or two games or even the rest of the season.
“There could be a financial punishment, of course. It’s a big variety of things and it will be up to a panel of experts to decide.”
Reading fans initially threw tennis balls onto the pitch at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, just seconds into their league match.
And while the fan-led protest group Sell Before We Dai had called for a pitch invasion at full-time, hundreds of fans took action early in the first half.
Initially play was suspended for more than an hour as the protests took aim at Yongge and the EFL, but with a stubborn minority refusing to leave the pitch, the match was eventually abandoned shortly before 4.30pm.
Sell Before We Dai said “the first fan-led match abandonment in our 152-year history should not be celebrated, but the spontaneous, unfiltered passion, as well as the will and determination of our fans, should be”.
They added: “We understand that we will be punished by the EFL, but what we really need is help. Today was an outpouring of emotion from a fanbase not known for its hostility. We are scared for the future of our football club and the threat could not be more real.
“We want this to be our last abandoned match, but it is just the start of this elevated protest action.”
Reading sit 21st in the League One table having been hit with a four-point deduction this season. The club have faced deductions totalling 16 points since November 2021, with recent decisions and departures speaking of a club in peril.
First-team coaches Andrew Sparkes and Eddie Niedzwiecki were let go during the week, hotel stays for away matches have been scrapped, while the company that were catering the club are no longer working at the Bearwood Park Training Ground – leading to reports the players are eating microwave meals.
“I feel really on edge, not just about today, but about the future of our club,” a Reading fan, who chose to invade the pitch and wishes to remain anonymous, told i ahead of kick-off on Saturday.
“I’m very anxious about Dai’s intentions and if he will accept any reasonable offers. And what stops this happening to anyone else? There needs to be some kind of safeguard against someone like Dai – who has overseen two other clubs going under – owning a club.”
Reading fans had previously staged a protest in the televised FA Cup game against Eastleigh in December, throwing tennis balls and fake pound notes onto the pitch.
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