Aston Villa claimed a gritty 2-1 win against Young Boys in a tense Europa League clash at Villa Park. Thursday evening’s match was marred by indiscriminate behavior by some Young Boys supporters. This ridiculous pandemonium resulted in two separate arrests and others being thrown out of the stadium.
Donyell Malen had been the star man for Aston Villa, bagging a brace to give his side every chance of making a comeback. His celebrations soon devolved into pandemonium. Following his maiden goal, missiles had been thrown down from the grandstand and hit him. Even with all that chaos though, Malen was able to bag himself a 3rd goal in relative comfort.
Match Overview
The match started out filled with promise, as both teams were looking to collect important three points in the Europa League. Unfortunately for the hosts, Aston Villa — managed by the highly-regarded head coach Unai Emery — proved their grit and resolve. Malen opened the scoring early in the match, sending the stadium into a frenzy. That jubilation was soon overshadowed by disorder, as a melee broke out in the stadium.
Young Boys supporters responded with fury to Malen’s celebration. They threw broken seats and coins onto the pitch and at the law enforcement officers who were on duty during the match. The chaos erupted during the first half, forcing security to act quickly.
Two Young Boys supporters were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer during the fracas. At least five other fans were ejected from the stadium after causing a disruption in the stands.
“I think it’s normal when you score a goal that you want to celebrate with your teammates. Maybe it was a small provocation, I don’t know. Our fans maybe took this like a provocation, but I think this is part of the football, our fans should not react so heavily.” – Gerardo Seoane
Reactions from Coaches
The chaotic wake of the riot prompted statements from both coaches about unacceptable fan behavior. Young Boys head coach Gerardo Seoane expressed his deep regret over the violence that broke out during the game. He certainly didn’t like the fans’ response and spoke to the need of having respect in the game of football.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was similarly blunt and demand for mutual respect. He stated, “We need respect for both sides. It is not necessary to get a moment like we had today. Respect for both sides. I think he’s (Malen) OK.”
Seoane further added that such behavior does not reflect how they want their supporters to act when attending matches away from home. He passionately asserted that at the end of the day, everybody loses in these fights.
“The way our supporters are normally, it is not how we want to act when we are guests somewhere, and I think nobody wins at the end, everybody loses with this situation.” – Gerardo Seoane
Consequences and Previous Incidents
This event is not an anomaly for Young Boys, who have seen financial punishments due to similar violations recently. The club was fined £24,729 two years ago for disturbances caused by their supporters during a match against Manchester City. They were given a separate £15,756 fine in February for misuse of pyrotechnics at Celtic.
Superintendent Paul Minor denounced the violence displayed by fans at the football games, which has been a trending topic in the news. He repeated that kind of behavior won’t be accepted and praised those keeping sporting events safe.
After offering some consolation to their foes following the break, Villa made sure their opponents felt every inch of their climb down the Premier League table. Beyond claiming three vital points with this win, they showed their character in overcoming off-field distractions.
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