4 officers injured in clashes before Villa-Warsaw

"Violent Pre-game Clashes Injure 4 Officers, Lead To 46 Arrests"

On December 1, 2023 at 10:26 AM

According to West Midlands Police, there were 46 individuals detained and four police officers harmed due to unrest that happened outside Villa Park prior to Aston Villa's Europa Conference League match against Legia Warsaw on Thursday.

On social media, videos were uploaded displaying that fans had thrown objects at the police. According to West Midlands Police, an officer was brought to the hospital due to the incident, and two police horses and two police dogs were also harmed.

On Friday, West Midlands Police posted a message on social media stating that they have arrested 46 individuals for the violent actions that took place outside of Villa Park amongst the opposing team fans. The officers were subjected to 90 minutes of continuous violence, leaving four of them injured. The police force admires the courage displayed by their officers and extends their appreciation towards #AVFC supporters for their support.

The police stated that only supporters from the visiting team were arrested, with most of them being detained for engaging in "violent disorder." Furthermore, four individuals were also taken into custody for having a "knife/offensive weapon" on them, and four more were arrested for attacking emergency workers.

Legia Warsaw claimed that Aston Villa provided them with a smaller number of tickets than what they were permitted according to the guidelines set by UEFA.

The police did not allow the travelling fans to enter the stadium after chaos broke out, which resulted in the away section being vacant. Aston Villa emerged victorious with a score of 2-1 in the match.

Legia Warsaw issued a statement saying that the measures implemented by Aston Villa F.C. as the host team have made the atmosphere worse instead of calming any potential tensions before the match. According to Legia Warsaw, these actions by Aston Villa F.C. are not helpful and unnecessary.

Aston Villa has been contacted by ESPN for a statement.

Andy Street, the Mayor of West Midlands, expressed his hope that UEFA will promptly take decisive measures.

In a statement to ESPN on Friday, UEFA expressed their condemnation towards the violent incidents that took place during the Aston Villa vs. Legia Warsaw game. These acts of violence were deemed as unacceptable by UEFA.

UEFA is currently collecting all the authorized documents regarding the match before making a decision about the possible course of action.

This report was assisted by details gathered by Reuters.