Israeli FA Wants Tougher Punishment for Pitch Inva

The Israel Football Association has recommended tougher punishment against clubs whose fans invade the pitch after some 50 Beitar Jerusalem supporters were injured in a crowd crush.

Two teenage Beitar supporters are unconscious in hospital after being crushed against the fence at Jerusalem's Teddy Kollek Stadium as fans tried to invade the pitch to celebrate the club's impending league title win on Sunday.

Israel FA (IFA) chairman Avi Luzon blamed the supporters for the incident, describing them as a "herd of elephants in the jungle", and said that from next season clubs would face far more severe punishment in similar cases.

Luzon suggested teams would play matches behind closed doors or at other venues in order to punish the fans. Points deductions would also be considered by the IFA's tribunals.

"If the fans cause the disruption then they should be punished, not only the clubs," he said at a news conference.

Beitar will face an IFA disciplinary panel on Tuesday and could be forced to play behind closed doors the match which will confirm their first title in nine years.

Dozens of Beitar fans were pressed against a perimeter fence while others escaped on to the playing area through a narrow gate that then gave way and partially collapsed.

Police have set up an inquiry panel to determine their actions but Jerusalem police commander Ilan Franco said on Sunday his forces had acted correctly and a mass pitch invasion had not been an expected scenario.

Fences at most Israeli grounds have been removed during the past two seasons and reports said there were plans for the fences at Teddy Stadium to be removed next week.

"We have been asking for the fences at Teddy Stadium to be removed for the past three years," Luzon said.

Invading the pitch is a criminal offence in Israel and offenders are often dealt with harshly.

A similar crowd crush in 2001 when Maccabi Haifa won the title left two teenagers seriously injured. One has remained hospitalised in a coma since then.