The League of Ireland has seen a massive boost in popularity in recent years, from selling out stadiums to developing international level players. This boost can often be overshadowed by disruptive fan behaviour, on and off the pitch. It seems that an overwhelming amount of news coverage reflects the chaotic crowd, rather than the quality of football. So how come the League of Ireland aren’t stricter on fans?
In a recent statement by the League of Ireland, Drogheda United fans were condemned for their actions in Oriel Park. The club received a €15,000 fine, a ban on supporters attending the club’s next four away fixtures, and a ban on supporters attending all fixtures at Oriel Park for the remainder of the 2026 season. The damage can be seen in the video below.
This is not the first time that flares have become a topic of discussion within the league. In a recent podcast from LOI Central, they discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of flares at League of Ireland matches. The host of the podcast, Dan McDonnell, explained that it is hypocritical of the League of Ireland to be dismissive of flares when they are a central part of advertising and thumbnail shots for matches. A guest speaker on the episode, Johnny Dunleavy, who played for Cork City for eight years, said that “This is like having a peak or a crescendo from having a level of ambivalence or tolerance towards the flares.”
He continues to say, “They (flares) provide an amazing visual, they definitely do, but you’ll often hear people saying that flares are banned, but they don’t do anything about it. There are no repercussions to it.”
In the video below, you can see how Copa90, who create football culture videos, glorify the use of flares. It shows League of Ireland fans setting off flares in large groups of people, letting smoke surround the crowd of kids, teenagers, women, and men.
Another incident in 2024 highlighted the dangers posed by pyrotechnics in crowds. In a Dublin derby between St. Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians FC, a flare was thrown onto the pitch, striking defender Cian Byrne in the arm. Bohemians manager Declan Devine called on the league to address the use of flares, but two years later, this is still a major problem.
We can even see evidence of illegal flares being used back in 2020, as Sligo Rovers released a statement saying that there were pyrotechnics used by Sligo Rovers fans against Finn Harps in Ballybofey. The club was fined on several occasions in 2019, totalling thousands of euro and in 2020 they received notification of a citation, which resulted in another fine. This stems from the Finn Harps F.C. match, during which pyrotechnics were ignited and thrown onto the pitch. One flare caught fire on the field and had to be put out and removed by a steward.
They pleaded with their own fans not to waste valuable club money, as they fundraised €495,000 in 2019, only for thousands of it to be used to pay off fines. They singled out the repeat offenders from this event and decided to ban them from attending Sligo Rovers matches. But why aren’t the league doing more to protect players, fans, officials, and pitches?
At the end of the latest statement by the League of Ireland, they say,
“The League of Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland wish to remind all supporters that the possession, use or throwing of pyrotechnics inside grounds is strictly prohibited at all League of Ireland fixtures. Such conduct presents a serious and unacceptable risk to public safety, causes damage to facilities and will continue to result in disciplinary action.“
It is a shame that they do not threaten legal action against fans or mention any larger security checks before fans enter the grounds. If the League of Ireland don’t crack down harder on fans, then there will be many more incidents like the activity at Oriel Park.
