Loss of A-League points or fines loom as potential punishments after the Wanderers after being issued with a show-cause notice on Monday by FFA.

Travelling fans let off a total of 25 flares inside and outside Etihad Stadium, where Brendon Santalab rescued a point for the Wanderers with an 89th-minute equaliser against Melbourne Victory.

The match was halted early in the first half, when smoke from the away-fans section made watching the contest impossible either at the ground or on television.

Accompanying the flares were detonators, which produce a loud bang and can confuse and alarm crowds into thinking a bomb has been let off.

The scenes brought near-universal condemnation and revolted FFA head office in Sydney.

Photo: David Crosling, AAP.

FFA chief executive David Gallop condemned the offending fans.

“This behaviour has clearly alarmed many people inside and outside the game. It simply cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“FFA has received detailed reports from all stakeholders and has asked the Western Sydney Wanderers to show cause why they should not face sanctions.”

The incident comes at a delicate time in FFA-fan relations.

A carefully brokered peace agreement was reached in December after disagreements over security issues led to fan boycotts.

FFA says its review of security arrangements at A-League games – a crucial part of its deal to end the boycotts – will be unaffected by the incident.

Gallop said their actions cost the sport fans.

“It is especially disappointing that it has happened at a time when we are working collectively to implement security and banning processes to rid of our game of this type of behaviour for the benefit of football and the true football fans who are tainted by these actions,” he said.

“That is an unfortunate but very real consequence of this behaviour and it underlines the damage that these troublemakers cause.”

This is not the first time a Wanderers away fixture has been mired in controversy. A December 2013 match produced a pre-match brawl between Victory and Wanderers fans, leading Western Sydney to be charged for bringing the game into disrepute.

That league-first charge included the docking of competition points, suspended on condition of good behaviour.

A FFA spokesperson confirmed that punishment had lapsed at the end of the 2013/14 season and would not be considered in their latest transgression.

Western Sydney club officials have until close of business on Wednesday to respond to the show-cause notice, when FFA will formally consider the charge and appropriate penalties.

As is standard procedure, FFA will also look to ban individuals who lit flares at the game.

-AAP