Police officer ‘set on FIRE’ by flare as Legia Warsaw fans injure three cops on Villa Park rampage before being barred from entering stadium and kept in a car park… but some still manage to break in as Polish club blame Aston Villa for violence

Violent clashes between police and Polish hooligans left one officer hospitalised with burns after being ‘set on fire’ and two others injured ahead of Aston Villa‘s Europa Conference League clash with Legia Warsaw. 

Three members of law enforcement were injured outside Villa Park after missiles were thrown at them by away fans. A group of travelling supporters later broke into the stadium and began to launch objects at the home crowd after they were refused entry on Thursday evening. 

According to The Sun, one officer was set on fire after being struck by the flare and is now recovering in hospital after suffering burns. 

Midlands Police confirmed they had made more than 30 arrests following the shameful scenes.

The match had begun without any away fans inside the stadium, with the travelling supporters contained in a car park behind the Witton Lane stand after clashing with police.

Despite being held as the game got underway, some away fans managed to break in to Villa Park during the first half, and could be heard cheering from behind a wall when Legia equalised after Moussa Diaby’s early opener.

Villa fans were seen looking over the wall in curiosity at the supporters that had managed to get into the ground. 

Legia fans let off flares as they were penned in by the wall of police officers

Legia Warsaw fans and police clashed outside Villa Park on Thursday night

Birmingham Police confirmed three officers were injured following the ugly scenes

The fans forced their way in after Birmingham Police had posted on social media that they were not letting any Legia fans inside the stadium.

Birmingham Police tweeted: ‘We’re currently unable to allow away fans into Villa Park following disorder outside the stadium which has seen missiles thrown at officers.

‘Three officers have already been injured & a significant policing operation continues. Please avoid Witton Lane where possible.’

West Midlands Police released a further statement shortly before midnight, confirming they had arrested nearly 40 individuals for their involvement in the clashes.

‘We’ve so far made 39 arrests on suspicion of offences including violent disorder and assaulting a police officer and they have been taken into custody for questioning. We will further review all available footage to identify perpetrators.’

The match commander, Chief Inspector Tim Robinson, added: ‘This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs.

‘Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.

‘We were there to help keep people safe, yet officers own safety was put at risk because of the deplorable actions of others.

‘Due to the extreme violence, there was no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium. The safety of everyone is our priority, and clearly we had no other option.

‘There can never be a place for such appalling behaviour, and this is something ourselves and the wider community should never have to experience.’

Mail Sport understands that Legia were unhappy with their reduced allocation after Villa reduced their ticket allocation to just 890 based on advice from the police and Safety Advisory Group.

UEFA rules allow the visiting team five per cent of the stadium’s capacity, which would equal 2,100 tickets at Villa Park.

In an official statement from Legia, they accused Villa of refusing to allocate tickets to away fans in accordance with UEFA regulations for a UEFA Europa Conference League match.

‘Instead of diffusing potential pre-match tensions, restrictive measures of Aston Villa F.C. as the host club needlessly exacerbate the atmosphere. In our view, such measures are counterproductive and unfounded,’ they wrote.

‘In a recent development, Aston Villa FC has firmly declined to adhere to UEFA competition regulations by refusing to allocate the stipulated pool of tickets for visiting supporters. 

‘Legia Warsaw had put forward a compromise solution, proposing an allocation of 1,700 tickets for their loyal supporters—a figure mirroring the number allocated to English club fans journeying to Warsaw. This proposal was officially accepted and duly documented in the UEFA delegate’s report, dated September 21.

There were no away fans inside Villa Park when the game got underway at 8pm

Villa fans were seen looking over a wall at Legia fans that had managed to break in to Villa Park

Some were inside the stadium to celebrate Legia Warsaw’s first half equaliser

‘In light of this agreement, Legia Warsaw’s supporters commenced their preparations for the journey across the English Channel, incurring various costs, including airline tickets and hotel reservations.

‘However, on November 2, Legia Warsaw received an unexpected and revised decision regarding the ticket allocation, which blatantly disregarded the prior agreements. The number of tickets was slashed to a mere 890, representing a staggering reduction of over 50%.

‘Faced with this untenable situation, Legia Warsaw has lodged repeated appeals with Aston Villa F.C., urging them to honour the regulations set forth on September 21.’

Villa hit back with a statement of their own later in the evening, condemning the violent scenes on the streets outside their stadium.

Villa said: ‘Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that no away fans were allowed into Villa Park for this evening’s UEFA Europa Conference League fixture with Legia Warsaw on the advice of West Midlands Police following large-scale disorder outside the stadium caused by visiting supporters.

‘The UK safety authorities, UEFA and Aston Villa, communicated on November 2 that the ticket allocation for away fans for this fixture would be reduced to 1,002 on the advice of safety authorities as a result of previous large-scale disorder caused by Legia fans last month at AZ Alkmaar.

Police told the public to stay away from Witton Lane if possible as the violence escalated

‘A number of Dutch police officers were injured during that disorder. As a consequence, UEFA banned Legia supporters from travelling to Mostar for their game against HSK Zrinjski.  

‘In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club.

‘The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with UEFA and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park.’

Legia supporters had made their way towards Villa Park ahead of kick-off, but were met with a barrier and a wall of police officers wearing helmets with visors to protect themselves.

The fans appeared to grow frustrated and flares were let off as they were penned in by the police.

On the pitch, Villa avenged their earlier group defeat in Poland by beating Legia 2-1 thanks to goals from Moussa Diaby and Alex Moreno.

After the game, Legia manager Kosta Runjaic refused to be drawn on the events that occurred outside Villa Park.

‘I think its a different topic, it’s not my business. I’ve been in a big focus to lead the team,’ he said.

Legia manager Kosta Runjaic refused to condemn the actions of the away fans after the game

‘We represented Polish football in a good way, all other things outside the stadium I don’t want to comment.

‘We have great fans, they support us home and away. We can always count on them. So far since I’ve been at Legia I’ve had a good experience with our fans. I don’t know the content of it all happening.

‘I don’t know the details, which is why it’s better I don’t speak too much about it. Unfortunately our fans weren’t in the stadium and the atmosphere would have been better.

‘It’s not about the fans, it’s a pity but we can’t change it.’