Manchester United, Tottenham Fans Clash in San Sebastian Ahead of Europa League Final
- Manchester United and Tottenham fans were involved in a heated clash a day before the Europa League final
- Thousands of fans have gone to Spain hoping their club will salvage what has been a disastrous season at best
- Police responded quickly to the chaos in San Sebastian, which is approximately an hour away from the San Mames stadium
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A worrying video of Manchester United and Tottenham fans clashing in San Sebastian has surfaced online ahead of the Europa League final.
Source: Getty Images
The fans of both teams have trooped to Spain for the first European club final of the season. If the pre-match talk and hype are anything to go by, the match is expected to be a cracker.
One of the teams will qualify for the Champions League next season despite finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Tempers have flared in Spain after both sets of fans were spotted fighting in San Sebastian, which is just an hour's drive from the final venue, on Tuesday night.
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Spanish publication El Diario Vasco reports that the chaos started at around 9:20 pm with insults and banter before one punch caused one fan to fall to the ground.
The punch triggered a melee with objects like tables flying around, but the police quickly responded to quell the tension. Luckily, no major injuries were reported.
The incident comes a day before the final, with Spanish police battling to find solutions to combat crowd trouble.
United and Tottenham are not out-and-out rivals in the Premier League, but given what is at stake in Bilbao, the security agencies will need to be on top of their game.
Fans reacted to the incident in Bilbao with Allibuoy saying,
"Jesus Christ. What is up with these people? Like, is there no self-respect or some sort of modesty when you travel to a different country !!!! Understand it’s a final bit, such behaviour is totally unacceptable. At least be respectful to the people around you."
Liverpool Mohamed said,
"What a disaster, fans of both of these mid-table clubs, fighting in a different country."
Ayan said,
"Why are United fans giving so much attention to these 0 trophy clubs' fans lol. Even if they win the Europa League tonight, they will still remain irrelevant."
While United Tommy said,
"Idiots, every single one of them. Trashing the streets in your own country isn’t acceptable, but visiting another country to trash their streets is a whole new level of disrespect. People don’t know how to act like guests."
UEFA had shut down indications that it could move the final to an English venue, choosing to stick with San Mames.
The slightly over 53,000-seater stadium will host 15,000 fans for each team, while the rest will go to general use, like for sponsors and other dignitaries.
Source: Getty Images
Security plans for Europa League final
In a related report, police in Spain reportedly visited their counterparts in England to share notes on how to combat crowd trouble.
They specifically wanted to know how they controlled the crowds at Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final.
What Amorim, Postecoglou said ahead of Europa League final
Speaking after landing in Bilbao, both managers reiterated the need to win the trophy for their fans. Manchester United are seeking a first trophy in the Ruben Amorim era, while Spurs haven't won one in the last 17 years.
"A new future, for me, it is not the case, but it is going to help us to finish the season, if people will look at our team differently, because winning a European title is important. But, again, it’s not going to change our season. The players know, everyone knows, the fans know, the staff know, but winning a European title can help us have that feeling to build the future," said Amorim via Manchester United website.
7 players to miss Europa League final
In a separate report, up to seven players are expected to miss the Europa League final through injury.
Tottenham will be the worst hit as they will be without Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, two of the players Postecoglou has heavily relied on this season.
United will be without Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
