German police clash with Crystal Palace and Vallecano fans at Europa final
German police called to two incidents of clashes between hundreds of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano fans in Leipzig.
Fans of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano have clashed in Leipzig as their teams prepare to play in the Conference League final, with police officers injured and two arrests made.
German police said bottles, beer glasses and restaurant furniture were thrown on Tuesday evening when a group of about 300 Rayo fans encountered Palace fans who were sitting outside restaurants, and that officers also intervened in a further incident when about 60 Palace fans “provoked” Spanish supporters of the La Liga club.
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Leipzig police said the two police officers sustained minor injuries but remained fit for duty. More than 300 people had their identities checked, police said on Wednesday.
“At approximately 20:00 (19:00 BST), around 300 Rayo Vallecano fans, considered to be at high risk of hooliganism, were gathered in the city centre,” read a statement from Saxon State Police.
“Fans of Rayo Vallecano and Crystal Palace attacked each other verbally and physically. The Leipzig Police Department, with the support of the riot police, has been on duty since Monday … The emergency services on site immediately went between the fan camps and separated them. Police forces from both fan camps were attacked. This was mainly done by throwing.”
Reporting on the separate incident with fans from the English Premier League club, the police added: “Known troublemakers from Crystal Palace moved to the area of the Penguin Ice Bar and approximately 60 individuals provoked passing Spanish fans and were surrounded by federal police.”
Both teams are in their first European final, and it is the last game at Palace for coach Oliver Glasner before he leaves at the end of the season.
A win for Palace on Wednesday would keep English clubs on track for a potential sweep of all three main European men’s club continental competitions.
Aston Villa won the Europa League last week, and Arsenal is due to play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Police in Paris were forced to deal with fan violence and riots following PSG’s semifinal win at Bayern Munich, and a heavy security presence is expected in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, for Saturday’s match.
