Standard Liege Match Abandoned After Referee Hit by Cup
Standard Liege's Belgian Pro League match against Royal Antwerp was abandoned in the 87th minute after the referee was struck by a cup thrown by a fan.
Standard Liege was leading 1-0 when the cup hit referee Lothar D'hondt, prompting him to blow the whistle and end the game at Stade Maurice Dufrasne on Friday.
The league has announced that the match will resume behind closed doors on Monday at 14:00 BST to complete the remaining minutes of play.
Standard Liege confirmed that the supporter responsible for throwing the cup has been identified. The club stated, "We will initiate civil stadium ban proceedings against him, as well as pursue compensation."
This incident marked the third occasion during the match that cups were thrown onto the pitch. D'hondt halted play for 10 minutes in the first half, during which he instructed the stadium announcer to urge fans to refrain from such behavior.
In Belgium, matches abandoned due to fan misconduct are required to be completed at a later date, rather than resulting in a forfeit for the team whose supporters are at fault.
Standard took the lead in the first minute of the game through a goal from Rafiki Said, but faced a setback when Adnane Abid was sent off in the 40th minute.
