Police injured as Legia Warsaw fans denied access to Aston Villa game
Before the Legia Warsaw football match at Aston Villa, there was an outbreak of violence from their fans that caused harm to some police officers. These fans were held in the coach park near Villa Park, waiting to enter the stadium for the Europa Conference League game on Thursday, when they started throwing objects at the police.
During the match between Villa and a Polish team, three police officers got hurt. However, the game started on schedule even if Legia supporters were not allowed inside the stadium beforehand. Villa expressed their disapproval of the conduct of the opposing fans and gave their appreciation to the West Midlands Police for their response.
According to a statement from the police department on X, previously known as Twitter, there is currently a predicament in which we cannot admit opposing team supporters into Villa Park. This issue arose due to disturbances occurring beyond the boundaries of the stadium, involving projectiles being launched at law enforcement officials.
"Three officials have sustained injuries and the police department is engaged in a substantial maneuvering operation. It is advisable to evade Witton Lane whenever feasible."
Around 2,000 fans from the opposing team showed up, even though Legia was only given permission for 1,000 fans due to previous behavioral issues at a game in the Netherlands against Alkmaar. This caused conflict between Villa and Legia, with both teams publicly blaming one another in official statements.
Villa released a statement after the match, stating that despite many requests for help from Legia Warsaw regarding the safety of their traveling fans at Villa Park, there was no response from the visiting club, especially in the past two days. The club had informed Legia multiple times, including this morning, together with Uefa and other authorities about their concerns regarding ticketless away supporters attempting to enter Villa Park.
Villa stated that supporters of Legia were involved in organized and intentional violent behavior towards police officers from the West Midlands approximately an hour before the match began.
The club stated that they strongly disapprove of the actions carried out by those who came to support the opposing team. They also expressed their gratitude towards the West Midlands Police for their outstanding display of professionalism despite facing challenging situations.
Villa emerged victorious in the match, clinching a spot in the knockout stages with a 2-1 triumph that was sealed by Àlex Moreno's goal. The defender made a remarkable impact in his first game of the season, having recovered from a hamstring injury. This clinched top spot in Group E for Unai Emery's side. Moussa Diaby got the ball rolling with the opening goal, and while Ernest Muci pulled one back for the opposition after capitalizing on Boubacar Kamara's error at the back.
Moreno scored the decisive goal from close range, securing a victory for Villa. Now, they only need a draw in their upcoming game against Zrinjski Mostar to become group champions. This means they will progress directly to the last 16 and avoid playing in an additional playoff round. This information was reported by the Guardian's sports section.
