Incidents in Leipzig: 60 Crystal Palace supporters detained before final
Clashes between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano supporters in Leipzig, shortly before the UEFA Conference League final. Police detained 60 individuals.
Supporter clashes in Leipzig shortly before Conference League final
Sixty Crystal Palace supporters were detained by police on Tuesday evening in Leipzig following clashes with Rayo Vallecano supporters just hours before the UEFA Conference League final, according to ERT.
According to an official police statement issued on Wednesday, after videos of the incidents had already circulated on social media, approximately 300 supporters of the Spanish team had gathered in the city centre. Clashes broke out there with supporters of the English team who were sitting in outdoor seating areas of shops.
During the clashes, bottles, beer glasses and bar furniture were thrown, and physical altercations occurred, as reported by police. Police officers who intervened to separate the two sides came under attack from both groups of supporters, primarily through thrown objects.
Subsequently, a group identified by authorities as "known troublemakers" from Crystal Palace moved towards the Penguin Ice Bar area, where they confronted Spanish supporters who were present at the location. The approximately 60 individuals were immediately surrounded by federal police. In a statement read in English to those detained, it was noted that they were subject to police control measures, including detention, identification and body searches, whilst they were ordered to leave the area.
The police force in the state of Saxony confirmed that a supporters' festival in a nearby square, which attracted around 2,000 people, took place without incident.
Source: ERT