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Standard Liege ordered to play two games behind closed doors

Standard Liege have been ordered play two home games behind closed doors after persistent hooligan trouble.

The club had been ordered to play one game behind closed doors and fined €5,000 after a missile and a flare were thrown onto the pitch during the defeat at Mechelen last month.

Because of the recurrent nature of such problems, a Belgian Football League disputes commission activated a suspended one-game punishment, which ran until March, imposed following trouble at a game last season.

"The commission thought it necessary to give a clear signal to Standard, given that these incidents happen again and again," a statement said.

The club have announced that they will appeal against the decision, which means they will play Lokeren and Brugge in an empty stadium.

"The club points out that the match delegate, the person designated by the Belgian Union to report on any incidents during a game, had stated the overall attitude of the Standard supporters at the game in question had been good," a statement on the official Standard website read.

Standard were also fined €1,000 after objects thrown by fans struck Ostende goalkeeper Silvio Proto on the head.

Later this month, the disputes commission will announce a decision on incidents that forced the 68th-minute abandonment of the game against Charleroi last Sunday.