.png)
Birmingham City and Hull City have been fined a combined £140,000 after admitting charges relating to a mass confrontation during their Championship match on 18 October.
The Football Association confirmed that both clubs breached FA Rule E20.1 after players and staff from both sides became involved in a heated altercation around the 42nd minute of the fixture. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed a £115,000 fine on Birmingham and £25,000 on Hull.
According to the written reasons released by the Commission, the incident followed a challenge involving Birmingham’s player number 28, which escalated into an altercation involving both technical areas, players and stewards. Match referee Ruebyn Ricardo reported “MASS CONFRONTATION between both technical areas and Birmingham City stewards, and both sets of players,” noting that stewards were pushed by members of both clubs. Two players and two staff members, one from each team, received cautions following the clash.
Both clubs admitted the charges, and the case was designated as Non-Standard due to the serious nature of the incident. For Birmingham, the designation also reflected a poor disciplinary record: the club has accumulated five misconduct breaches across the past five seasons, including four in the current campaign alone. The Commission noted “a consistent failing by the club to control its players” when determining the elevated sanction.
By contrast, Hull City had no recent first-team breaches of Rule E20 but did have two youth-level offences within the past 12 months, which the panel took into account.
Under FA guidance, fines for repeated Non-Standard breaches escalate significantly. Birmingham’s sanction fell within an increased tariff of £75,000 to £150,000, while Hull’s fine was set at the entry point of the £25,000–£50,000 range.
The joint paper hearing was conducted on 4 November by a panel comprising Bradley Pritchard (Chair), Michael O’Brien and Mike Riley.
Both clubs retain the right to appeal under FA regulations.
