The English club Aston Villa announced that it had filed a complaint with UEFA following the behavior of Legia Warsaw supporters before the Europa Conference League match between the two clubs on Thursday evening. Aston Villa's victory (2-1) was marred by scenes of violence which left four Birmingham police officers injured during clashes with Legia fans. Forty-six people were arrested in an attempt to restore order.
While the match was able to start on time, and no Legia supporters were allowed to enter the stadium, a group of them approached the stadium to throw bottles from the street towards Villa fans who were in the enclosure. Less than 1,000 seats had been reserved for this match at Legia Warsaw, whose supporters have a reputation for causing disturbances to public order.
Several fans without tickets from the Polish club had announced their intention to still go to Birmingham. Aston Villa had on Thursday evening “strongly condemned the behavior of these supporters and thanked the West Midlands Police for their professionalism in these difficult circumstances”, according to a press release from the English club.