Polish police are reportedly hunting for the Chelsea and Real Betis fans who clashed in Wroclaw on Tuesday night – and the media have branded them ‘thugs’.
Locals have been ordered to report any ‘dangerous incidents’ as the police and city guard look to stamp out any trouble before the Europa Conference League final.
Supporters dscended on the Salt Market Square and clashed outside a restaurant on the eve of the final, with fans desperately trying to fend off police, throwing chairs and other objects towards them.
Scenes turned sour after a reported series of ‘scuffles’ between fans and pepper spray was apparently unleashed on unruly individuals.
Now police are searching for stragglers from Tuesday night and are even going undercover in plain clothes to root out misbehaviour, local outlet Wroclaw Wyborcza reports.
‘The police assure that residents and true football fans can feel safe, because there are a lot of uniformed and plainclothes police in the city, who react immediately,’ the outlet claims.
Polish police are reportedly on the hunt for troublemaking Chelsea and Real Betis supporters
Police in Wroclaw seemingly used pepper spray during a clash with supporters on Tuesday
Meanwhile, Sport claims that football fans have ‘vandalised the city premises and infrastructure’, branding them ‘thugs’.
Armed with batons and shields, it is believed that police made a barricade to separate fans on the northern side of the Market Square.
As objects were thrown their way, they decided to intervene and seemingly unleashed pepper spray on supporters.
Pictures show armed police spraying a substance toward Chelsea fans in the market, as they attempt to flee the area.
Following the incident, the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wroclaw released a statement.
‘The uniformed officers reacted immediately after the incident, which resulted in no further escalation of the conflict or negative behavior,’ the statement read.
‘The fans scattered in different directions and currently the police officers of the criminal division are conducting activities aimed at identifying them.
‘The number of preventive and operational police forces and their saturation is so large in places where residents and sports fans gather or move around that everyone can feel safe.
70,000 fans are estimated to be in the city of Wroclaw for the Europa Conference League final
Armed police created a barricade in Market Square to try defuse clashes between fans
‘Please immediately notify the nearby Police or City Guard patrol of any incident, or call the emergency number 112. We are at your disposal and our priority is to ensure safety.’
‘Foot patrols, monitoring from drones and helicopters, intensified activities on the streets and in key locations – the office enumerates and adds: – Firefighters from the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Wrocław and rescuers are also ready to respond immediately, especially in the area of the stadium and all fan zones.’
More than 70,000 supporters are estimated to have descended on Wroclaw, despite the stadium only having a capacity 42,000. To deal with the influx of fans, reportedly 2,000 police offers from around Poland have come to the city.
Prior to the clash, it had been reported that authorities had already advised residents to limit travel.
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The authority of Lower Silesia’s capital is believed to have released a press release to notify residents of three days of disruption ahead of the game.
The fan clash comes just three weeks after French police were thought to have clashed with Paris Saint-Germain fans ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg clash with Arsenal.
The Sun reported that police have used tear gas on the Parc des Princes faithful, after videos of them tangling with armed officers circulated on social media.
In one of the clips, fans were seen being charged by police officers as they sought to flee. Some fans are seen covering their nose and mouths, with the caption alleging that tear gas had been fired into the crowds of supporters.
