WAR FOOTING UK’s top footy cop calls for Legia Warsaw to be BANNED from Europe after officer ‘engulfed in flames’ at Aston Villa

British border authorities confiscated gum shields and MMA boxing mitts from the luggage of some fans

Posted Saturday, December 02, 2023 by Thesun.co.uk

WAR FOOTING UK’s top footy cop calls for Legia Warsaw to be BANNED from Europe after officer ‘engulfed in flames’ at Aston Villa
Police clashed with Legia Warsaw fans during Thursday's Europa Conference League tie with Aston Villa Credit: Rex

WAR FOOTING UK’s top footy cop calls for Legia Warsaw to be BANNED from Europe after officer ‘engulfed in flames’ at Aston Villa
One officer was set on fire by a flare during the clashes Credit: Rex

Mark Roberts, who leads the UK's Football Policing Unit, made it clear Legia fans are no longer welcome in this country after they injured dozens of officers while rioting at Leicester and Villa.

Roberts warned safety certificates could be withdrawn and stadium bans imposed if Legia are drawn against an English club again after their loutish fans clashed with Dutch police and injured four West Midlands officers recently - causing burns to one.

“It's clear Legia have an appalling record in Europe this year and West Midlands Police were aware there might be problems,” said Roberts, who is also Chief Constable of Cheshire Police.

"It really does put into focus whether there is a case to exclude them from the competition because they can't keep going around Europe causing this sort of havoc.

"As a result of information we had from the Dutch authorities, Border force actually stopped 11 Polish fans from even coming into the country.

“From a police perspective they are extremely difficult to manage and there comes a point when you have to ask where police and public safety outweighs the needs of the competition.

“I spoke to Uefa on the night and we will speak again. They are urgently reviewing the situation.

"But I think there is a really good case for having them thrown out of the tournament.”

Roberts laid the blame for the pre-match carnage at Legia Warsaw for failing to deal professionally with the distribution of tickets to their fans.

He said: "We know the club were very unhappy at the reduction in the ticket allocation but in light of subsequent events that was an entirely justified decision."

And he revealed Legia fans could face a national stadium ban if they are ever drawn against English clubs in future, as the all-powerful Safety Advisory Group could refuse to grant safety certificates for matches involving the Poles.

"I think we'd have to have a look at ways we can support whatever police force has the misfortune to have to host them," he rapped.

"In some circumstances, we might even say we want to prevent any away fans from coming and there might be a case for the Safety Advisory Group to exclude away fans."

Our reporter found evidence, among the debris left following last night's shameful scenes outside Villa Park, of the scale of Legia Ultras' carnage.

We found empty boxes, which had contained 50 flares and saw how Legia fans had come close to breaking down a fence as they attempted to break free from the pen they had been herded into by police.

SunSport can also reveal British border authorities confiscated gum shields and Mixed Martial Arts boxing mitts from the luggage of some fans, who had clearly come prepared to fight.