Denmark wins partial UEFA appeal

Nyon, Switzerland:

UEFA has reduced Denmark's penalty for a fan attack on a referee during a European Championship qualifier.

European soccer's governing body ruled that Denmark will only be banned from playing home games at its national stadium in Copenhagen for the next two games, not four as previously decided.

Denmark now has to play its next two home qualifiers for next year's European Championships at least 140 kilometers away from the capital, but the match against Latvia in October can be played in Copenhagen.

UEFA punished Denmark after a fan attacked German referee Herbert Fandel in the final minutes of its Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden on June 2. The match was abandoned with the score level at 3-3, but UEFA awarded Sweden a 3-0 victory.

Denmark was also ordered to pay a $81,000 fine, which was now reduced to $41,000.

If Denmark gets into trouble again, the full home-game ban - deferred by UEFA for two years - could be reimposed, the ruling said.