Linfield in trouble again as fans let off flares before second half of Coleraine clash

Linfield fans let off flares prior to the second half of their Sports Direct Premiership clash with Coleraine

Linfield could be in hot water with the Irish FA again after a large section of their travelling fanbase let off flares prior to the second half of their Sports Direct Premiership clash with Coleraine.

Before the game restarted following the half-time break, several flares and various pyrotechnics were let off in the away end behind the goal set to be tended by Coleraine goalkeeper Rory Brown.

The mass amount of smoke created by the pyrotechnics led to a four-minute delay before the game could resume as Brown could not take his place for kick-off while they went off.

And now the powers that be at the Blues will be sweating over potential sanctions from the IFA, with this by no means their supporters’ first indiscretion of the season.

In December, the south Belfast club were given a £4,000 fine and a suspended one-game stadium ban for their supporters in January for sectarian chanting and a racist comment at several previous fixtures.

The games in question were away to Larne on 15 September, away to Cliftonville on 20 October and at home to Loughgall on 28 October, all in the Premiership.

The stadium ban was suspended until February 29, with the IFA saying that the suspension would come into immediate effect should there be another instance of spectator misconduct before then.

Whether the IFA determine this latest incident to equate to spectator misconduct is yet to be seen but, if it is, then the Blues would have to play without fans in attendance at their next game, which is away to Cliftonville on Tuesday.