Egyptian club Ismaily have been kicked out of the African Champions League following the crowd trouble that led to the abandonment of a home fixture against Tunisian side Club Africain on 18 January.
African football’s governing body CAF took the action on Wednesday, eliminating Ismaily from the competition and erasing their results with immediate effect.
In a statement, CAF referred to the “throwing of stones and bottles” that occurred during the match in Ismailia on matchday two of the group games.
The clash had a number of crowd-related stoppages at the Ismailia Stadium before the premature end in stoppage time with Club Africain leading 2-1.
Ismaily took an early lead when Namibian Benson Shilongo converted a low cross but Ghazi Ayadi converted two penalties late in the opening half to turn the game in favor of Club Africain.
The second spot-kick infuriated the crowd as the referee initially awarded a free-kick before altering his decision after consulting with an assistant. Ismaily supporters became increasingly angry as the second half progressed and an assistant referee had to abandon his position with five minutes left after objects were thrown at him.
With pleas for calm from the coaching staff of the Egyptian club being ignored, the referee called the match off in additional time.
As a result Group C now sees Constantine top with six points from two games, with Club Africain and TP Mazembe on zero points, having played one match each.
This is the second time that a club has been expelled during the group stage.
Tunisia side Etoile du Sahel were kicked out by CAF in 2012 after their fans invaded the pitch during a home fixture against Esperance.
