Chelsea and Betis fans clash before Conference League final
Police used water cannon in the Polish city of Wroclaw on Wednesday when trouble broke out between Real Betis and Chelsea supporters hours before the Conference League final.
Bottles and smoke bombs were thrown by groups of rival supporters in bars near the city's market square, and riot police with shields moved in to keep groups apart and restore order. Water cannon was used on both sets of supporters, after clashes between a number of fans, with items thrown. Videos of fans throwing chairs and beer mugs at each other were widely circulated on social media.
Tens of thousands of supporters have travelled for the final, with the majority in a celebratory mood before the game, which kicks off at 9pm local time. Betis are competing in their first major European final while Chelsea are aiming to become the club to win all four of Uefa's major European trophies. The mood was quiet in the morning and early afternoon before clashes broke out.
The old market square
JAMES GILL/GETTY IMAGES
Trouble broke out in the city's market square
EPA
There had also been minor skirmishes on Tuesday evening, with police intervening when a small of group fans clashed in the city centre. Glasses and chairs were thrown, with footage on social media showing police using pepper spray.
On Wednesday morning the Gazeta Wroclawska reported that a brawl happened at about 11pm the city's market square, which subsequently 'looked like a battlefield' before overnight cleaning. They reported four Spanish supporters were detained by police on Tuesday, with police searching for nine other supporters involved in brawls.
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