Students kick off at ‘Your dad works for my dad’ rugby song
A UNIVERSITY sports day descended into violent clashes between rival groups of students who threw flares and bottles, burned banners and chanted derogatory songs in front of hundreds of spectators.
The clashes between students from the universities of Sussex and Brighton during varsity rugby and football matches, held at the Falmer sports ground in Sussex, resulted in several students being hospitalised after they were struck with bottles and other projectiles.
One student is believed to have threatened another with a knife, as stewards and police officers struggled to control supporters on either side.
Police have confirmed that a student, who has not been named, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a weapon, and has since been released pending further inquiries. Fights bet- ween rival groups of students are believed to have started after Sussex supporters were heard shouting provocative chants towards the Brighton spectators.
According to onlookers, the students, described as “posh boys”, chanted: “We get AABs, you get STDs”, while others shouted: “Your dad works for my dad”. In response, a number of Brighton students are believed to have responded by burning homemade “Sussex” banners.
While the two institutions have a longstanding rivalry – Sussex is a Russell Group university, while Brighton is a former polytechnic – the violence witnessed at the weekend is believed to have been the worst in the fixture’s history. The skirmishes between supporters was described by vice-chancellors from both universities as “shocking and disgraceful”.
One spectator said: “People were lying around with bloody faces. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The incident has forced both universities to launch a formal investigation, with those involved potentially facing expulsion if caught.