THIS is the shocking moment Chelsea and Real Betis fans brawl in Poland ahead of the crucial Conference League final on Wednesday.
Ugly scenes emerged from Wroclaw on Tuesday with Chelsea fans sprayed by riot police with tear gas to force the warring supporters apart.
Footage posted to social media shows a series of fierce clashes between fans of the Brit and Spanish sides in cobbled streets outside the city’s bars and restaurants.
In one clip, a group of around five young men can be seen smashing chairs and hurling glasses at another group sheltering in the canopy of a building.
In the window is a large blue flag which reads: “London only”, indicating it could be a spot designated for Chelsea fans.
Riot police storm over and douse the aggressors with tear gas.
Another clip from elsewhere shows two sides lobbing missiles at one another from the cover of two different pubs.
There is the constant sound of smashing glasses and furious shouting.
Police seem less prepared here – tackling the chaos without helmets – and can be seen backing off as a cloud of objects flies across the square.
The rival supporters were camped out in the Guinness bar and the nearby Kombinat pub, according to local reports.
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In later footage, there are rows and rows of geared-up cops who seem to have taken control of the situation.
The local police force said: “The uniformed officers reacted immediately after the incident, which resulted in no further escalation of the conflict or negative behaviour.
“The fans scattered in different directions and currently the police officers of the criminal division are conducting activities aimed at identifying them.
“The number of preventive and operational police forces and their saturation is so large in places where residents and sports fans gather or move around that everyone can feel safe.”
However, images from after the sun had gone down show the square still thronging with supporters.
Investigations are ongoing to identify the key troublemakers using CCTV.
More than 70,000 fans were expected to descend on the picturesque town of Wroclaw to watch The Blues try to take the title tomorrow.
Fans of the London side will be hope their team isn’t distracted by the drama – with the honour of being the first-ever club to win all three European titles on the line.
Chelsea booked their place by defeating Swedish side Djurgardens IF 5-1 on aggregate earlier this month.
Earlier, head coach Enzo Maresca got a shock when his banned winger Mykhailo Mudryk arrived in the city unannounced – and wearing a Chelsea kit.
Mudryk is currently suspended from playing after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium while on international duty in November.
But it did not stop him making his own way to Wroclaw where he was spotted by fans wearing a club tracksuit in a steakhouse.
It’s believed he told them he is here to collect a medal after the final against Real Betis.
Maresca appeared caught off guard when it was put to him that the £62million wideman was in town.
He said: “To be honest, I just… Is he here or is he coming? He’s here. I’m happy for Misha to be here.
“I don’t know, I just said that. I’m happy for Misha to be here.”
It will be a big day for Antony who has the chance to prove himself in front of British fans – after turning his game around when he switched from Manchester United to LaLiga side Real Betis.
The Brazilian was unable to live up to his mammoth £86m price tag when he swapped Ajax for Old Trafford in 2022, scoring just five league goals in 62 appearances for Man Utd.
And when he was sent on loan to Real Betis in January it felt like a move to help remove distractions and take hefty wages off the books at United amid Ruben Amorim‘s upheaval of a failing squad.
Instead, it turned out to be the revival of Antony’s career.
The switch has seen Antony’s reputation do a full 180 flip, earning him a return to the national team fold with Brazil and an army of adoring Betis fans begging for him to stay.
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Meanwhile, a referee who was hit with a six-match ban this season has been announced as the official in charge of tomorrow’s showdown.
Irfan Peljto will become the first Bosnian to officiate a major Uefa club competition final.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
