Police Injured as Legia Warsaw Fans Denied Access to Aston Villa Game

Missiles were thrown at police as fans were held in coach park
Three officers injured before 2-1 victory for Aston Villa

Violence erupted as Legia Warsaw fans were denied entry to the Europa Conference League game against Aston Villa, resulting in injuries to three police officers. Missiles were thrown at police during the unrest in the coach park near Villa Park, where the visiting fans were held before the scheduled match on Thursday.

Despite the violence, the game proceeded on time, and Aston Villa emerged victorious with a 2-1 win against the Polish side. Legia fans were not allowed into the stadium before kick-off. Villa strongly condemned the behavior of the away fans and appreciated the actions of West Midlands Police.

A police statement on social media said, “We’re currently unable to allow away fans into Villa Park following disorder outside the stadium, which has seen missiles thrown at officers. Three officers have already been injured, and a significant policing operation continues.”

Approximately 2,000 away fans had gathered, exceeding Legia’s restricted allocation of 1,000 due to supporters’ behavior in a previous group game in the Netherlands. This led to a dispute between Villa and Legia, with both clubs issuing statements criticizing each other.

“In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their traveling 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,” said Villa in a statement after the match.

Legia fans engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers about an hour before kick-off. Villa expressed strong condemnation of the behavior of the visiting supporters and thanked West Midlands Police for their professionalism in difficult circumstances.

The match ended with Villa’s victory, as Àlex Moreno’s goal secured a 2-1 win, sending them into the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League.