Lokomotiv given three-match crowd ban after fan violence

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian club Lokomotiv Plovdiv must play their remaining three home games this season behind closed doors after crowd trouble forced their match against bitter city rivals Botev to be abandoned on Saturday. The punishment, handed down by the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) disciplinary commission on Tuesday, will come in to effect for Lokomotiv's league matches against Cherno More Varna and Litex Lovech as well as their Cup semi-final match against champions Ludogorets on Wednesday. Botev have been awarded a 3-0 victory by the BFU. Lokomotiv fans threw loud fireworks, stones and other objects which led referee Georgi Kabakov to remove the players from the pitch for their safety five minutes before halftime and the game was not resumed. The match was abandoned with the score at 0-0. The Plovdiv-based side, who have already been ordered to play one match at a neutral ground and two games behind closed doors following crowd trouble this season, were also fined 10,000 levs (4,218.91 pounds) for the incidents on Saturday. Lokomotiv, who won the title in 2004, are seventh in the standings on 49 points from 33 matches, 21 points behind leaders Ludogorets. Violence inside and outside stadiums has plagued Bulgarian football in recent seasons, endangering the safety of players and fans. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; editing by Martyn Herman)