Birmingham City’s defeat to Hull City turned ugly as tempers flared in a match that saw 10 players booked and Jack Robinson sent off.
The flashpoint came shortly before half-time when players from both sides became embroiled in a heated confrontation, which soon involved members of the coaching staff as well. Referee Ruebyn Ricardo issued yellow cards to Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic and Blues coach Tom Huddlestone.
During the melee, Jakirovic claimed that a security officer told him to “go back to Croatia” — an accusation Birmingham City have since publicly denied in an official statement.
The Football Association is now set to review the incident, and the Blues could face yet another substantial fine. Earlier this month, the club were hit with a £100,000 penalty for their players’ involvement in a similar altercation against Ipswich Town — their fifth such offence within a year, prompting the FA to increase the severity of sanctions for repeat misconduct.
Blues manager Chris Davies acknowledged the need to find a balance between team unity and maintaining discipline.
Davies said: “Obviously, we don’t want to be wasting money on fines and disciplinary issues. From what I recall, Patrick (Roberts) was down and they kept playing, so one of our lads went in with a tackle, and that sparked a bit of a coming together.
“There’s a very fine line between losing discipline and showing togetherness. The players clearly want to stand up for one another, but we have to make sure we get that balance right.”
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