Malta and Croatia were yesterday handed tough FIFA fines after the disorder following the Malta-Croatia World Cup qualifier earlier this month at Ta’ Qali.

Malta’s FA has been fined 13,000 Swiss francs (around Lm5,000) for failing to take appropriate security precautions at the same match.

The Croatian FA has been fined 55,000 Swiss francs (around Lm22,000) as a result of a disorder by their fans during the same match in Malta.

The match had ended in a 1-1 draw.

These decisions were taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee chaired by Marcel Mathier (Switzerland) at a meeting in Lima, Peru, on 22 September. According to the committee's report, the Croatian association has been warned that any further crowd disturbances by their supporters will lead to more severe sanctions.

These decisions may be contested before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud said yesterday the association is considering whether to appeal the decision.