Manchester City are due to face Sevilla tonight in the Champions League, but it seems that their fans may have already become acquainted.
Hooliganism can often be rife at European games, with firms wanting to stamp their mark on the international scene. These fans are no exception.
In scenes containing more thrown chairs than the WWE, rival fans are seen fighting outside Sinclairs Oyster Bar in the city’s Exchange Square. It’s a pretty scary, as I can only assume that a chair to the head isn’t going to tickle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJqOyQwFqr4
There’s no bitter history between the two clubs. In fact, I’m pretty certain this is the first time they’ve ever played each other. However, all may not be as it first seems.
It’s not yet known exactly what started the fight, but Twitter rumours are now claiming it wasn’t actually Man City fans, but in fact a Slask Wroclaw firm from Poland, who have a fierce and bitter rivalry with Sevilla, and police reports may just be backing those claims.
@MCFClnfo Sevilla attacked Slask fans and stole banners in Spain 2 years ago and Polish have been chasing them around Europe ever since.
— Samuel Street (@samstreetwrites) October 21, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMAH5GH0RhM
Police have reported that 3 Polish fans have been arrested following the clash, and somehow only one person has been treated for a head injury.
3 x Polish Football fans arrested for a violent disorder following the incident at Shambles Square earlier this evening.
— GMP City Centre (@GMPCityCentre) October 21, 2015
Hopefully, the rest of tonight will go without further incident, and there’s no more trouble at the game. Having a sing song and a bit of banter with rival fans is an important part of the game. Getting a chair to the forehead, not so much.