Trouble overshadowed Aston Villa’s Europa League win over Young Boys as two away supporters were arrested after violent clashes inside Villa Park.
The game ended 2-1 in favour of Villa, but the headlines quickly shifted to the chaos in the stands.
The disorder erupted in the first half when Young Boys fans hurled items, including coins and broken seats, toward Villa players and police officers. Dutch forward Donyell Malen was struck on the head as the tension surged.
Police confirmed that two away fans were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer.
“We won’t tolerate violence of any kind at football matches,” Superintendent Paul Minor said. “The majority of the crowd was in good spirit, but unfortunately, a small minority of away fans caused violence and disrupted the game.”
As the match moved end-to-end on the pitch, trouble spilled over in the lower tier of the Doug Ellis Stand after Villa opened the scoring. Riot police rushed in as the situation worsened. The unrest intensified after Villa’s second goal, with more objects launched at Malen.
Young Boys captain Loris Benito stepped in to calm their supporters, yet the clashes continued. Fans collided with police, and punches and seats were thrown before several offenders were finally ejected. The match resumed minutes later, and the second half passed without further incidents.
UEFA will now review match reports before deciding on disciplinary action. This is not the first time Young Boys supporters have faced sanctions, with previous fines issued for disorder at Manchester City and pyrotechnic use at Celtic.
Villa claimed the win on the pitch, but the night will be remembered for the chaos in the stands instead of the football.
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