BESIKTAS were slapped with a £30,000 fine from Uefa after a stray cat interrupted their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
The pitch-invading ginger moggy jumped out of the stands during the last-16 game in March and held up the game as it hung out by the corner flag for around half a minute.
Perplexed-looking referee Michael Oliver gathered the ball and watched the cat jump back over advertising boards before starting play again with a drop-ball at Vodafone Park in Istanbul.
Uefa failed to see the furry funny side, justifying the fine by saying Besiktas showed “insufficient organisation” as thr Turkish club were also punished for fans throwing objects during the game.
The fine is over £12,000 MORE than the punishment handed to Liverpool after their fans attacked Manchester City’s bus ahead of the competition’s quarter-final at Anfield.
Bayern were fined £22,000 by Europe’s governing body for their fans showing a banner with an anti-Uefa “message of an offensive nature” and also for invading the pitch during the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.
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Besiktas lost the game 3-1 and were turfed out 8-1 on aggregate following a first-leg humbling in Bavaria.
Uefa have also confirmed that time-wasting ball boys cost Roma a £6,000 fine.
The indiscretions, during the Serie A club’s clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, included setting off and throwing fireworks.
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