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Police have charged 46 men after Legia Warsaw supporters attacked police outside Villa Park in Birmingham on Thursday.<\/p>\n
West Midlands Police said five officers, two police dogs and two police horses were injured when missiles were thrown by visiting fans during the Europa Conference League fixture.<\/p>\n
In a statement confirming details of the charges, the force said 43 men have been charged with a public order offence, two with assaulting police officers and another with possession of a knife.<\/p>\n
The statement added: \u201cThose charged are aged between 21 and 63, and around 40 are believed to be from Poland. A small number are believed to be UK residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll apart from one of the men is due in court today. He has been bailed to appear at a later date. A special court has been set up at Birmingham magistrates and will begin hearing the cases this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officers are continuing to review CCTV and body-worn video footage to identify further suspects after \u201cwhat was an appalling and violent public disorder\u201d.<\/p>\n
Two West Midlands Police officers, two from West Mercia and one from Derbyshire Police suffered minor injuries during the violence.<\/p>\n
Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who is overseeing the criminal investigation, said: \u201cOur investigation is very much continuing and we\u2019ll be reviewing footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming days.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo charge this number of people so soon after such a major disorder has taken a huge effort by staff who have been working around the clock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of messages of thanks from the club and fans who were present on Thursday night and saw the policing operation first hand, and we are really grateful for that support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police said fans of the Polish side were not allowed into the stadium after missiles were thrown at officers before the start of the match.<\/p>\n
West Midlands mayor Andy Street has called for European football chiefs to take \u201cstrong action\u201d as he thanked the \u201cbrave officers\u201d and criticised the \u201cdeeply unpleasant scenes\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a previous statement, Chief Inspector Tim Robinson said: \u201cThis should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs. Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the \u201cextreme violence\u201d left police with no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium, adding: \u201cThe safety of everyone is our priority and clearly we had no other option.\u201d<\/p>\n
We strongly object to Legia Warsaw being blamed for Thursday’s incidents in Birmingham<\/p>\n
Villa filed an official complaint to UEFA on Friday, but the Polish club have hit back, putting the blame on their hosts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn compliance with UEFA regulations and public law, Aston Villa, as the host club, along with local authorities, has a responsibility to ensure an adequate level of security both inside the stadium and in its immediate surroundings,\u201d they said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrior to our match against Aston Villa, we have consistently maintained that our responsibility extends only to individuals entering the visitors\u2019 sector with tickets distributed by us.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo club should be held accountable for the actions of unidentified individuals without tickets for the match.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur staff arrived in Birmingham earlier than usual and maintained continuous communication with the English club, UEFA, and the local police. We repeatedly informed the British counterparts about necessary measures for the security of the venue and its vicinity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite this, the British police, in their official responses, only acknowledged the potential risks without implementing our suggestions.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegrettably, due to the actions and inactions of Aston Villa FC, adverse incidents occurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy disregarding our constructive feedback, the host club bears full responsibility for the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAston Villa FC breached UEFA regulations multiple times \u2013 initially by not allocating the required 2,100 tickets (five per cent of the stadium\u2019s capacity), then reducing the agreed 1,700 tickets to just 890. Such decisions contributed to the escalation of tensions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the inability to authenticate and distribute tickets effectively, Legia Warsaw returned the tickets to the host club. We emphasise that none of the individuals detained by the police had tickets for the match. Therefore, we strongly object to Legia Warsaw being blamed for Thursday\u2019s incidents in Birmingham.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a club, we are committed to upholding the highest standards in line with UEFA regulations. We expect reciprocal conduct from other club representatives. We remain prepared to present further evidence to UEFA regarding the actions of the British Police and Aston Villa FC.\u201d<\/p>\n