Police slam "disgusting, dangerous" Villa Park violence as officer hospitalised
West Midlands Police have slammed the "appalling scenes" around Villa Park on Thursday night, insisting they faced "extreme violence" from Legia Warsaw fans.
Fans from the Polish club were banned from attending their side's Europa Conference League clash with Aston Villa, which the Premier League side won 2-1. Trouble flared ahead of the game, with the police having an increased presence around the stadium.
The police have now confirmed they made 46 arrests, including for violent disorder and assaulting a police officer. One officer was hospitalised after the clashes with the Legia fans, with West Midlands Police bolstering their presence in Birmingham's city centre as a result.
"We've made more than 30 arrests as officers were injured during serious disorder involving away fans outside Villa Park this evening. We were faced with disgusting and highly dangerous scenes as trouble flared ahead of the fixture between Aston Villa and Legia Warsaw," a statement from the force read.
"We had a significant policing presence in place because of safety concerns. This stemmed from visiting fans having been involved in previous match day disorder. Tonight's disorder is believed to have sparked when tickets were not distributed by the away club to supporters outside the ground, as had been anticipated.
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"During the disorder four officers were injured - with one taken to hospital - along with two police horses and two police dogs as missiles including flares were thrown towards them. Thankfully their injuries are not believed to be serious.
One officer was hospitalised and 39 arrests were made as police clashed with Legia Warsaw fans at Villa Park (James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)"This led to away fans not being allowed into the stadium due to safety concerns, and a significant number of arrests were made. We kept a police presence in and around the stadium, and this remains in the surrounding city centre to maintain the safety of everyone."
West Midlands Police issued an update later on Friday morning: "We've now got 46 people in custody following last night's violence involving away fans outside Villa Park. Officers faced 90 minutes of sustained violence, and four were injured. We're proud of our officers, and thank #AVFC fans for their support.
"Of the suspects, 41 of those were arrested for violent disorder, four for possession of a knife/offensive weapon, and four for assaulting emergency workers. All of those arrested are away fans, and we'll be working hard to charge and remand those suspects where we can today."
Four officers were injured in the clashes (James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)The force's match commander, Chief Inspector Tim Robinson, slammed the Legia fans for putting his officers at risk. And he insisted there was no other option than to ban them from attending the game.
"This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs. Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers," Robinson said.
"We were there to help keep people safe, yet officers own safety was put at risk because of the deplorable actions of others. Due to the extreme violence, there was no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium.
"The safety of everyone is our priority, and clearly we had no other option. There can never be a place for such appalling behaviour, and this is something ourselves and the wider community should never have to experience."
Missiles including chairs and bottles were thrown at police (James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)The disorder was sparked when Legia fans were refused entry to Villa Park after earlier clashes with police. The visiting supporters were held in a pen behind the Witton Lane stand, with bottles and other missiles hurled at police and at the stadium.
An arrangement had been struck between the two clubs to allow 1,700 visiting fans into Villa Park. But After intervention from the safety advisory group - on a recommendation from West Midlands Police - it was set at 890.
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A huge security presence met them, with Legia hitting out at Villa for denying their supporters entry. The Polish side released an explosive statement slamming their hosts.
It read: "Aston Villa is refusing to allocate tickets to away fans in accordance with UEFA regulations for a UEFA Europa Conference League match. Due to the actions taken by Aston Villa FC as the host club, Legia Warsaw's official delegation, management board and owner will not be present at the hosts' stadium.
Legia fans were held in a pen behind the stadium instead of being allowed in, which sparked the disorder (David Davies/PA Wire)"Instead of relieving potential pre-match tensions, Aston Villa’s restrictive measures as the host club unnecessarily exacerbate the atmosphere. In our opinion, such measures are counterproductive and baseless."
Aston Villa hit back at Legia though, insisting the decision was made after large-scale disorder from the visiting fans.
"In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club," a statement read.
"The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with UEFA and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park. Approximately an hour before kick-off, Legia fans engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers and a decision was then made by West Midlands Police to exclude all Legia supporters.
"Aston Villa strongly condemns the behaviour of those visiting supporters and would like to thank West Midlands Police for their professionalism in very difficult circumstances."
The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has demanded UEFA take action as he thanked the police for their work. In a statement on Twitter, he wrote: "Deeply unpleasant scenes outside Villa Park tonight, which were dealt with absolutely appropriately by West Midlands Police. A huge thank you to the brave officers who put themselves in harm's way to keep others safe. I trust UEFA will now move swiftly to take strong action."
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