Post by Carl LaFong on Dec 1, 2023 12:59:12 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-67588149
Aston Villa fans said "all hell broke loose" before the European fixture with Legia Warsaw.
Four police officers and police dogs were hurt in clashes with away fans, with one officer suffering concussion when they were hit by a flare.
Police faced 90 minutes of "sustained violence", West Midlands Police said.
Home fans also said missiles were hurled into the Birmingham stadium, from outside the ground, as police stopped Legia Warsaw fans getting in.
The concussed officer, sent by West Mercia Police to support the West Midlands force, also inhaled smoke from a flare that got caught on her uniform, the force's police federation said.
Police said a total of 46 people remained in custody.
The force had intelligence beforehand that Legia Warsaw fans were coming over to "cause problems", said Jason Dooley, deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation.
Villa fan Justin told BBC Radio WM he had been walking to the ground ahead of the game and had just reached the north stand car park when "literally all hell broke loose".
"I turned round and there were flares thrown, things coming over the top. [The police] reacted very, very quickly to shut that down," he said.
Simon Osborn another Villa supporter, said: "I've never seen nothing like it, pretty scary."
Officers were "faced with disgusting and highly dangerous scenes"and one was taken to hospital, West Midlands Police said.
Staff from other forces had come to support the West Midlands force, Mr Dooley said.
'Unprecedented violence'
Several police dogs suffered cuts to their paws from broken glass and two police horses were injured when they were punched, he explained.
"This is unprecedented violence, we've not seen for years and years," Mr Dooley said.
"You've got elderly people, families trying to go to a game and these fans, I would call them hooligans, were intent on causing damage to any person who was walking their way.
"It's just a difficult situation because we knew the intelligence that they were coming over to cause problems and the police gave the operation the fullest attention possible - we've policed it correctly but you just cannot stop the sporadic violence which occurs.
"A West Mercia officer, which is the one we are a bit more concerned about, has got concussion and smoke inhalation where a flare was caught on her clothing which has injured her quite badly."
He said the force had given the policing operation for the match "the fullest attention possible".
"We've policed it correctly, but you just cannot stop the sporadic violence which occurs," he added.
'Ketchup bottles launched'
Forty one people were detained for violent disorder, four for possession of a knife or offensive weapon and four for assaulting emergency workers. All were fans of the Polish side.
Phil Strickley was in Villa's Holte End and said fans outside the stadium had started throwing bottles in, including some picked up from a burger van.
"They were literally picking up all their ketchup bottles and launching them into the stadium, trying to hit our fans," he said.
Villa's Europa Conference League game went ahead and the Legia Warsaw fans were stopped from entering Villa Park over safety fears.
Fans of the Polish side tried to force their way in and officers with batons and shields were seen trying to regain control of the area.
Birmingham councillor Waseem Zaffar was at the game with his eight-year-old son and said some away fans had managed to get into the ground.
"As soon as their team scored, they jumped up and then there was little spats here and there and a few of them got kicked out," he added.
"I felt nervous throughout the game with one eye on my son. Everyone had one eye on what was going on outside [Villa Park] rather than the game "
As well as the four officers, 10 people outside the ground were treated by paramedics for minor injuries, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
The disorder was believed to have started because of tensions after the ticket allocation for visiting supporters was reduced to 1,000, on the advice of local emergency services.
Prof Clifford Stott, from Keele University, who is an expert on the policing of football crowds, was at the game.
"Some of the most serious disorder I've ever witnessed in a Uefa competition context tonight. Legia Warsaw have serious issues to confront and I can't see how Uefa cannot act," he posted on X.
Uefa - European football's governing body - said it strongly condemned the "unacceptable violence" around the game.
"Uefa is in the process of gathering all official reports from the game before deciding on potential next steps," a spokesperson added.
Dutch police officers were injured during large-scale disorder during Legia Warsaw's match against AZ Alkmaar last month.
Aston Villa won Thursday evening's game 2-1 courtesy of a 58th minute goal by Alex Moreno.
Aston Villa fans said "all hell broke loose" before the European fixture with Legia Warsaw.
Four police officers and police dogs were hurt in clashes with away fans, with one officer suffering concussion when they were hit by a flare.
Police faced 90 minutes of "sustained violence", West Midlands Police said.
Home fans also said missiles were hurled into the Birmingham stadium, from outside the ground, as police stopped Legia Warsaw fans getting in.
The concussed officer, sent by West Mercia Police to support the West Midlands force, also inhaled smoke from a flare that got caught on her uniform, the force's police federation said.
Police said a total of 46 people remained in custody.
The force had intelligence beforehand that Legia Warsaw fans were coming over to "cause problems", said Jason Dooley, deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation.
Villa fan Justin told BBC Radio WM he had been walking to the ground ahead of the game and had just reached the north stand car park when "literally all hell broke loose".
"I turned round and there were flares thrown, things coming over the top. [The police] reacted very, very quickly to shut that down," he said.
Simon Osborn another Villa supporter, said: "I've never seen nothing like it, pretty scary."
Officers were "faced with disgusting and highly dangerous scenes"and one was taken to hospital, West Midlands Police said.
Staff from other forces had come to support the West Midlands force, Mr Dooley said.
'Unprecedented violence'
Several police dogs suffered cuts to their paws from broken glass and two police horses were injured when they were punched, he explained.
"This is unprecedented violence, we've not seen for years and years," Mr Dooley said.
"You've got elderly people, families trying to go to a game and these fans, I would call them hooligans, were intent on causing damage to any person who was walking their way.
"It's just a difficult situation because we knew the intelligence that they were coming over to cause problems and the police gave the operation the fullest attention possible - we've policed it correctly but you just cannot stop the sporadic violence which occurs.
"A West Mercia officer, which is the one we are a bit more concerned about, has got concussion and smoke inhalation where a flare was caught on her clothing which has injured her quite badly."
He said the force had given the policing operation for the match "the fullest attention possible".
"We've policed it correctly, but you just cannot stop the sporadic violence which occurs," he added.
'Ketchup bottles launched'
Forty one people were detained for violent disorder, four for possession of a knife or offensive weapon and four for assaulting emergency workers. All were fans of the Polish side.
Phil Strickley was in Villa's Holte End and said fans outside the stadium had started throwing bottles in, including some picked up from a burger van.
"They were literally picking up all their ketchup bottles and launching them into the stadium, trying to hit our fans," he said.
Villa's Europa Conference League game went ahead and the Legia Warsaw fans were stopped from entering Villa Park over safety fears.
Fans of the Polish side tried to force their way in and officers with batons and shields were seen trying to regain control of the area.
Birmingham councillor Waseem Zaffar was at the game with his eight-year-old son and said some away fans had managed to get into the ground.
"As soon as their team scored, they jumped up and then there was little spats here and there and a few of them got kicked out," he added.
"I felt nervous throughout the game with one eye on my son. Everyone had one eye on what was going on outside [Villa Park] rather than the game "
As well as the four officers, 10 people outside the ground were treated by paramedics for minor injuries, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
The disorder was believed to have started because of tensions after the ticket allocation for visiting supporters was reduced to 1,000, on the advice of local emergency services.
Prof Clifford Stott, from Keele University, who is an expert on the policing of football crowds, was at the game.
"Some of the most serious disorder I've ever witnessed in a Uefa competition context tonight. Legia Warsaw have serious issues to confront and I can't see how Uefa cannot act," he posted on X.
Uefa - European football's governing body - said it strongly condemned the "unacceptable violence" around the game.
"Uefa is in the process of gathering all official reports from the game before deciding on potential next steps," a spokesperson added.
Dutch police officers were injured during large-scale disorder during Legia Warsaw's match against AZ Alkmaar last month.
Aston Villa won Thursday evening's game 2-1 courtesy of a 58th minute goal by Alex Moreno.
