Games called off mid-match: Riots and tear gas saw these clashes abandoned

But over the years, many games around the world have been suspended for both sit-down protests as well as all-out brawls.

The money involved in elite sport means both sets of clubs have a number of measures in place to hopefully combat bad behaviour.

But sometimes the only option is try again another day. Here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at some of the most notable examples...

AC Milan vs Inter Milan 2005

The game is best remembered for an iconic image of Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa standing united on the San Siro pitch as missiles swarmed the turf.

Inter and AC share the historic stadium and were pitted against each other during the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final in 2005.

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Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Carlo Ancelotti's Rossoneri increased their lead in the return fixture thanks to Andriy Shevchenko's first half goal.

However, German referee Markus Merk enraged the Inter fans when he disallowed Cambiasso's equaliser and missiles bombarded the pitch.

AC's goalkeeper, Dida, was himself struck by one of the fireworks and received treatment to first-degree burns on his shoulder.

The game was temporarily suspended before it was abandoned and Milan were awarded a 3-0 win - ultimately losing to Liverpool in the final.

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Inter were later ordered to play their next six European games behind closed doors, while they were also fined around £132,000.

Blackpool vs Huddersfield 2015

The Tangerines were hit with a suspended three-point deduction and a £50,000 fine following a pitch invasion during a clash with the Terriers.

The game was the final fixture of a miserable season for Blackpool in which supporters swarmed the turf to protest at then-chairman, Karl Oyston.

Fans of the Seasiders had seen their club already relegated to League Two prior to the fixture when they caused a halt to the match after 48 minutes.

After a sit-in demonstration in the centre circle lasted more than an hour, referee Mick Russell was forced to call the game off.

The EFL subsequently declared the result as 0-0 while Blackpool were also threatened with behind-closed-doors fixtures if fan trouble continued.

Fortunately for fans, Simon Sadler has since completed a 96.2 per cent acquisition of the club - who are now back in the Championship.

Leyton Orient vs Colchester 2017

The O's were involved in one of the most unique scenarios in English football when their match against the U's was initially abandoned.

Orient fans stormed the pitch for a sit-down protest against the ownership of Francesco Becchetti.

The Italian had overseen a fall down the National League for the first time in 112 years and poor finances had put them on the brink of extinction.

When fans refused to leave the Breyer Group Stadium, both Orient and the EFL announced that the game had been abandoned.

Yet incredibly the match was restarted once all supporters had left to play the final eight minutes with Colchester winning 3-1.

The EFL said it recognises 'the right to protest' but felt the fixture needed to finish due to the U's still being in a position to qualify for the Play-Offs.

Colchester ultimately ended up outside the top six that season while Orient earned promotion back to the Football League in 2019 after a two-year exile under new owner Nigel Travis.

Six years after their Colchester incident, Orient's League One clash against Lincoln City was abandoned in the 84th minute when Orient fan Derek Reynolds was given CPR on the side of the pitch.

The east London club tragically confirmed the following day that the lifelong fan had passed away.

Almost an hour after play was stopped at Brisbane Road, the match was abandoned with Orient leading 1-0.

The EFL have since decided the two clubs will replay the fixture in full for November 2023.

Santos vs Independiente 2018

Santos' Copa Libertadores second-leg with Independiente three years ago was abandoned in bizarre circumstances.

The two teams had drawn 0-0 during the first leg but hours before the second meeting, Argentine side Independiente were awarded a 3-0 win.

Santos were deemed to have fielded an ineligible player after CONMEBOL ruled that Carlos Sanchez had not served a ban from a red card handed out in 2015 when he played for River Plate.

The Brazilian outfit argued that the midfielder played after CONMEBOL's own system showed no outstanding bans and their fans were livid.

Santos appealed and Sanchez was cleared to play in the return fixture but the decision to give Independiente a 3-0 win from the first match stood.

Santos supporters began throwing missiles toward the rival bench late on during the second leg with the game locked at 0-0.

Other fans then stormed the perimeter fence, prompting police to beat them back with batons and later launch percussion grenades.

The referee halted the game in an attempt to quell the violence but minutes later took the teams to the dressing rooms and abandoned the match.

Grasshoppers vs Sion/ Lucerne 2019

Swiss side Grasshoppers have been forced to deal with plenty of protests - but none more so than the 2018/19 season.

The Zurich-based outfit had been in the Champions League four years earlier but they were now on the brink of relegation.

A clash with Sion - who were later awarded a 3-0 win - had to be abandoned in the 56th minute after fans threw fireworks onto the pitch.

Grasshoppers were already trailing 2-0 when supporters pelted the pitch with pyrotechnics only for another game to be stopped months later.

An away match against Lucerne was halted in the second half with the club losing 4-0 as fans threatened to spill onto the turf.

Swiss media said Grasshoppers fans demanded players hand over their shirts as they were not worthy to wear them.

The club said it decided to hand over shirts to fans 'because the situation threatened to escalate'.

"The decision does not mean that we approve of unsportsmanlike and humanly questionable behaviour," they said in a statement.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Istanbul Basaksehir 2020

A match being abandoned in the modern game is not always due to fan trouble - as evidenced by this match played in the COVID era.

PSG's Champions League group game with Istanbul Basaksehir was abandoned in December 2020 following an alleged racist incident.

Basaksehir's players walked down the tunnel midway through the first half amid claims the fourth official, Sebastian Coltescu, had used racist language towards the club's assistant manager Pierre Webo.

The match, which was abandoned at 0-0, was replayed the following night with a different set of officials and PSG secured a 5-1 win.

Following an investigation, UEFA announced in March 2021 that Romanian Coltescu had been suspended until the end of the season.

Lyon vs Marseille 2021

Marseille are also no strangers to their games being disrupted by crowd trouble - with two matches being abandoned in 2021.

During a clash with Nice in August, several objects were thrown onto the pitch, with then-captain Dimitri Payet picking one up and throwing it straight back where it came from.

Just a month later in Angers, violence broke out in the crowds, with Marseille fans spilling onto the pitch and tussling with stewards.

In October, another Marseille game had to be suspended with riot police stepping in when flares were thrown between fans during a Europa League clash against Galatasary in the Stade Velodrome.

And the club's clash with Lyon had barely even started that November when Payet was struck on the back of the head by a bottle as he made to take a corner in the fourth minute.

Lyon had one point docked in Ligue 1 for the incident, but ultimately won the rescheduled fixture 2-1 in February 2022.

Ajax vs Feyenoord 2023

Two of the Netherlands' elite clubs were involved in a De Klassieker to remember in September 2023.

After just 55 minutes of the Eredivisie fixture, the referee opted to halt the game amid anger from Ajax supporters.

The 36-time Dutch champions were on a run of just one win from four outings in the league when they found themselves 3-0 down to rivals Feyenoord before half-time.

The match was initially halted before the break as fireworks were thrown onto the pitch.

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Videos on social media then showed some fans trying to storm their own stadium after the match was suspended.

The remaining 34 minutes was played behind closed doors at the Johan Cruyff Arena less than a week later, with Feyenoord running out 4-0 winners.