Shelbourne fans have been banned from attending their next away game in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division, against Galway.
Last Friday, SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division leaders Shels saw their 2-2 draw at Drogheda United temporarily paused after a linesman was struck by an object thrown from the away supporters' section.
The FAI's Independent Disciplinary Committee has today imposed a ban on Shelbourne supporters from attending next week's away fixture, a trip to Eamonn Deacy Park to take on Galway United on Friday, 19 April.
Speaking before the ban was announced, Shelbourne manager Damien Duff said much-needed investment into the League of Ireland could be curtailed if fan behaviour continues to make the wrong headlines.
The club and 100-time former Republic of Ireland cap Duff emphatically condemned the actions of the individual who caused the incident at Weavers Park.
That disturbance followed a recent flashpoint at Richmond Park when a Bohemians player was struck by a flare thrown from the stand where his own side's supporters were congregated during a fixture at St Patrick's Athletic.
Bohs fans were subsequently banned from attending a fixture at Drogheda United.
Those incidents have come at a time when infrastructural issues have reared their heads in the league.
First Division leaders Cork City will have to search for alternative home arrangements in the short-term after the Munster Football Association announced the closure of Turners Cross for the foreseeable future over 'extensive damage' to the surface, while Finn Harps had to move a home match against UCD last Friday to an earlier kick-off time due to a floodlight issue, underlining the Donegal outfit's view that a move to a new stadium is "vital for the survival of the club".
Speaking ahead of this Friday's fixture against Bohemians which will be shown live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, Shelbourne boss Duff said the situations at Cork and Finn Harps had thrown the facilities issues into sharp relief and that stories of bad behaviour by fans within the league would only make it more difficult to attract the necessary investment across the board.
"Unfortunate stories in the last couple of weeks. Obviously Richmond Park a couple of weeks ago, we had our game up in Weavers Park at the weekend and now you see Finn Harps and Turners Cross," he told RTÉ Sport's Shane Dawson.
"We have spoken about the league needs money i.e. Finn Harps' floodlights, Turners Cross' pitch. But at the same time we need people to behave well.
"So it goes both ways. We want investment but we want the fans to behave themselves as well. It's an incredible upward curve the league is on and it has to stay that way."
Duff is not expecting a repetition of the scenes from last Friday this time round, with the club and manager making it a stated objective to clamp down on any deplorable behaviour.
"I think they know. They don't need a message from me. As I said post-match on Friday, the whole club is embarrassed and hurt and I know the fans were as well," he said.
"So we've all got tarred, as I said, with one brush because of one person. I would be absolutely shocked if it happened again ever, anytime soon, whatever.
"I'd like to think we have learned our lesson. In saying that, we'll await the hearing from the DCU (Disciplinary Control Unit) but I think it's important - and I'll back it up and the club will back it up - we're going to do everything we can to ensure that it doesn't happen again at Tolka Park but also at any other stadiums.
"It's rife. Shelbourne, and rightly so, we got a lot of bad press at the weekend. But I would have to say it's a league problem as well as a Shelbourne problem."
While the hype outside of Tolka Park grows about what's been happening on the pitch as Shelbourne top the table with a quarter of the season completed, Duff said his squad have remained grounded and humbled throughout.
But he admitted that the surprise package tag may eventually have to come off the jersey.
"I guess we're not a surprise package, not just this year but maybe the second half of last season," he said.
"Obviously opposition teams may be showing a little bit more respect and even individuals. I think out of the last four Player of the Months, we've won three of them.
"So even that from an individual point of view, there are some marked men in our team and it's going to be harder for them to perform. It's challenges that we're all ready to face and challenge."
The next challenge of course being a north Dublin derby against near neighbours Bohemians on Friday which will whet the appetite for the fans, although Duff is keen that passion is replicated outside of traditional grudge matches.
"It is what it is. I know it's probably the number one fixture that our fans look for along with (Shamrock) Rovers probably," he said.
"So (it's) a massive game, start of round two (of league fixtures), round one parked and it's imperative that we start off well again."
While Shels lead the way, six points clear at the top of the division, Bohs are third from bottom.
"They've a manager that's come in, that's highly respected around the league," he said.
"A lot of players you hear are really fond of him so they're going to run hard for him. That aside, they've an awful lot of quality so regardless of their league position or their patchy start, they're a proper, proper team and a proper, proper dangerous team. We have to respect it and then on top of that, go play our own game."
Watch Shelbourne v Bohemians in the League of Ireland on Friday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
