BSC Young Boys captain Loris Benito has pointed the finger at West Midlands Police following a night of violent disorder involving travelling supporters at Villa Park on Thursday.
Objects Thrown and Players Targeted
The trouble erupted after Aston Villa's Donyell Malen scored the opening goal. A section of the away fans responded by throwing coins and cups onto the pitch towards the celebrating Villa players.
Malen sustained a minor cut to his head from the incident. When the forward scored his second goal later in the match, he was notably cautious, ensuring his celebratory knee slide kept a safe distance from the fan section.
Captain's Intervention and Police Escalation
In an attempt to calm the situation, Young Boys skipper Loris Benito approached the section of disruptive fans. However, his efforts were followed by fighting amongst the supporters and with police officers, with coins and stadium seats being thrown.
Benito revealed after the match that the referee had warned him the game was at risk of being suspended or abandoned. He criticised the police response, stating, "The police officers had their backs to the pitch. They didn't see me coming and trying to talk to the fans. From then on, it just escalated."
He added, "The police also acted incorrectly. Their job is to de-escalate, not escalate."
Official Response and Manager's Apology
West Midlands Police confirmed that two Young Boys fans were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer.
Superintendent Paul Minor stated, "We won’t tolerate violence of any kind at football matches. The majority of the crowd was in good spirit but unfortunately a small minority of away fans caused violence and disrupted the game."
An official investigation has been launched, with officers reviewing body-worn video and CCTV footage from the stadium.
Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane apologised for the behaviour of the club's fans in his post-match press conference. While suggesting Malen's celebration might have been a "small provocation," he emphasised that such reactions are part of football and that his supporters should not have reacted so heavily.
Seoane also commented on the police reaction to fans moving towards the front, believing it was premature. He concluded, "It's a pity for everybody... and for sure we apologise. We don't feel good... The way our supporters are normally, it is not how we want to act when we are guests somewhere."
