FANS INJURED IN CLASHES WITH POLICE
LEICESTER’S Champions League quarter-final tie against Atletico was marred yesterday evening by clashes between police and fans in Madrid’s city centre. A number of Leicester supporters were injured when officers in riot gear charged crowds gathered in Plaza Mayor hours before kick-off. Videos also emerged of fans targeting police with missiles and chanting: “You Spanish b ****** s, Gibraltar is ours” as well as airing an infamous WWII song about German bombers. Local authorities said eight Leicester followers had been arrested late on Tuesday night for ‘causing a mess’ and will be in court today. But the ugliest scenes occurred shortly after 5pm yesterday, when, according to witnesses, police attempted to clear the people drinking and singing by using excessive force. Several videos and pictures on social media showed fans with injuries caused by baton strikes, while others documented unsavoury actions by some in Leicester colours. Aaron Richard Howells, who was in the square, said there was goodnatured singing, but some younger fans got too close to police. He told the BBC: ‘We saw police targeting groups of people, smashing beers from tables and throwing chairs towards the fans, as well as charging with batons and riot shields.’ Another witness said: ‘There were a couple of people who probably antagonised the police, but then they took out all these people here. ‘There were people with children. They came in with batons and there was a 70-year-old man and the kids in the way.’ There were, though, accusations by those in the square that some ticketless fans wanted to cause a nuisance and ‘expected trouble later’. Around 6,000 supporters were estimated to have travelled to Madrid. A spokesperson for the municipal emergency services said there was a group of 70 ‘hooligans’ when police charged.