December 14 – Legia Warsaw have been banned from selling tickets to their travelling fans for five European away games as a result of the violent scenes that marred their recent Europa Conference League defeat at Aston Villa.
UEFA disciplinary chiefs rejected calls from the head of football policing in the UK for the Polish club to be thrown out of the competition after five police officers were injured.
But they also fined Legia €100,000 saying the entire punishment was “for crowd disturbances, acts of damage, throwing of objects and lighting of fireworks” on November 30. Aston Villa won the game 2-1.
Legia fans were barred entry to the match following clashes outside the stadium and the club have been ordered to contact Aston Villa within 30 days for the settlement of the damage caused by their supporters.
Police said officers were “faced with disgusting and highly dangerous scenes”, including having flares thrown at them.
Officers with batons and shields were seen trying to regain control of the area while missiles were launched at them as fans of the Polish side attempted to force their way through barriers.
The trouble is believed to have been triggered by tensions over restrictions on the number of away fans who were going to be permitted to enter Villa Park for the match.
Police said the allocation for visiting supporters had been reduced to 1,000 tickets on the advice of local emergency services, adding Legia fans had “been involved in previous matchday disorder”.
Meanwhile UEFA have also fined the Ukrainian FA €20,000 for the racist behaviour of their supporters during their Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
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