Football Federation Australia has issued Western Sydney Wanderers with their fourth show cause notice in two years after fans lit fares during Sunday’s A-League derby with Sydney FC.

FFA has given the club until 5pm Thursday on 1 March to respond to the notice, with Greg O’Rourke, head of the A-League, saying FFA was concerned about “maintain[ing] a safe and secure environment for the vast majority of football fans who attend matches and support their team in a peaceful and good natured way week in and week out”.

Wanderers, meanwhile, have announced they will close their active support area for one match. The Red and Black Bloc lit two flares in the first 16 minutes at Allianz Stadium, after Oriol Riera opened the scoring for the visitors in the 10th minute.

Fans also wore shirts attacking FFA and calling for FFA boss David Gallop to quit.

Chief executive John Tsatsimas said the area will be closed for Sunday’s match against Perth Glory at Spotless Stadium. “Unfortunately a small group have made this action unavoidable,” he said. “Investigation into those directly responsible for the lighting of flares is continuing.”

FFA said it would take into account Wanderers’ initial response to the incidents and “any other measures it takes” before the governing body makes a determination.

Wanderers have only just escaped a suspended points penalty that hung over their heads all of last season for flare-related indiscretions, among other offences. In February 2016, they were fined $50,000 and had three competition points suspended for bringing the game into disrepute after 25 flares were let off at and outside Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium.

The suspension was due to expire in February 2017 but was extended for a further three months when more flares were lit at the Sydney derby early in the 2016-17 season.

Tsatsimas delivered a final warning last July to a “rogue element” of the RBB, threatening to shut them down should any further “illegal and highly dangerous” incidents occur.