Soccer matchs sometimes see flares in the stands, and that takes some criticism for safety concerns and more. Well, some Toronto FC fans went even further than your average flare in Wednesday night’s Voyageurs Cup (Canadian championship) semifinal against the Ottawa Fury, setting off fireworks that led to fires starting in the stands and even apparently spreading to the field at points:
Toronto FC fans start fire in stands at tonight's game. @torontofc pic.twitter.com/pGfK3t05db
— Jon Hansen (@piblogger1) July 19, 2018
Toronto FC fans starting fires… #CANCHAMP pic.twitter.com/1JeqQep3zr
— Kat (@msconduct) July 19, 2018
I posted a close up video clip earlier, but that clip does not capture the entire event. This one (taken from my stationary Facebook live feed covering the entire pitch) shows the entire event. #FuryFC #TorontoFC #TFC #CanChamp #USL #MSL #ottnews pic.twitter.com/rObru15OTb
— Rideau Rebeldes Atlético Ottawa Supporters Club (@AtleticoOttawa) July 19, 2018
Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney apologized after the match for the incident, which he called an “embarrassing scene.” Meanwhile, some supporters were ejected:
Again, passing on from sporadic tweeter @grawsee who's on the scene: Fury spokesperson says several supporters were ejected but no arrests were made. #TFCLive
— Oliver Platt (@plattoli) July 19, 2018
And The Voyageurs, the Canadian supporters’ group that instituted the Voyageurs Cup in the first place, later condemned this in both English and French:
https://twitter.com/thevoyageurs/status/1019798531694104577
https://twitter.com/thevoyageurs/status/1019798914197868545
https://twitter.com/thevoyageurs/status/1019797721824350208
https://twitter.com/thevoyageurs/status/1019798084056944640
The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the Fury, also put out a statement:
https://twitter.com/OSEG_Media/status/1019777686326136832
At any rate, this certainly led to some controversy. Toronto FC won the match 1-0, with the return leg in Toronto Wednesday. We’ll see if that one involves any fires.
[Deadspin]
