Five Eintracht Frankfurt fans have been arrested in Seville just hours before the Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers.
The police said they were part of a group of 200 German supporters who allegedly attacked Scottish fans near the cathedral in the centre of the southern Spanish city on Wednesday night. On Wednesday, the police confirmed reports in the Spanish media. The German fans allegedly threw flares, tables and bottles at the officers. According to the report, they are accused of disturbing public order and aggression.
The police chief in charge, Juan Carlos Castro, had warned of “serious problems” shortly before these first riots on Tuesday. Around 150,000 fans were expected in Seville for Wednesday night’s final, 100,000 from Scotland and 50,000 from Germany.
“This is outrageous,” Castro said. “That’s too many people with too much alcohol, most of them without tickets for the game. And there are many construction sites in the city. All this together can lead to serious problems.” Fifty-five hundred security personnel will be deployed for the final. Castro spoke of the “most difficult match in recent years” in the Andalusian metropolis.
Most fans will not be in the stadium
Each club was given a quota of 10,000 tickets each for the final. The Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan can only seat about 44,000 spectators. Most of the fans who travelled from Germany and Scotland will therefore watch the final in front of big screens in fan zones and the Cartuja stadium or in pubs.
