Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BLACK & BLUES
Barca stewards ‘beat Chelsea fans’ as pro-spain chant angers Catalans
CHELSEA fans were injured by baton-wielding Barcelona stewards after the Blues’ 3-0 Champions League defeat at Camp Nou.
Violence escalated as some of the visitors allegedly threw coins and sang pro-spain chants to goad their Catalan hosts months after the region’s failed independence bid.
But dozens of fans accused stewards of “vicious and indiscriminate baton beatings” in Wednesday night’s clash.
Women, children and elderly fans were said to have been among those hurt. One fan, a 50-yearold police officer, claimed he was “battered” and posted photos of bruises and welts he said he sustained in the confrontation.
Another said stewards were “clearly goaded by some pretty appalling behaviour”, with “whole swathes of our end chucking coins (hundreds of them), endless singing of ‘Barcelona, you’ll always be Spain’”. Journalist Dan Levene said: “Many accounts of appalling stewarding at Camp Nou. Vicious and indiscriminate baton beatings.
“Equally, sizeable Chelsea contingent goading, coin chucking, touching raw nerve of Catalan politics. Neither justifies the other and plenty not involved in either were hurt.”
Chelsea Supporters Trust chairman David Chidgey said: “With 5,000 supporters you’ll always get a few idiots.
“The trouble is when the police and stewards pile in, it’s usually the innocent that get hit.
“It seems a lot of the stewards were armed with batons and were indiscriminately whacking Chelsea supporters.
“My understanding is a lot were women, children, elderly.”
The CST, Football Supporters’ Federation and Football Supporters Europe are gathering evidence to probe the claims.