Chaotic scenes unfolded at Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League second leg clash with Djurgarden on Thursday as fights broke out between rival supporters at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca’s side picked up a 1-0 victory on the night as they reached the final of Europe’s third tier competition by virtue of a 5-1 aggregate victory against the Swedish outfit.
However, the game was marred by several incidents in the crowd after thousands of Djurgarden supporters gained access to home sections of the stadium.
This began at the start of the match when hundreds of travelling fans were seen leaping over barriers and crawling under netting to get into the away end.
They could also be seen clashing with police and ignoring warnings from stewards, with an increased security presence heading towards that area of the ground as the first half progressed in order to prevent further fans from crossing the divide.
Throughout the game, it was clear that many were stationed around the ground as chants of ‘f*** you Chelsea’ rang out from both sides of the stadium on occasions, while Djurgarden’s supporters continued to sing loudly despite their impending exit from the competition.
Fights broke out between Chelsea and Djurgarden supporters at Stamford Bridge on Thursday
Thousands of Djurgarden fans infiltrated home sections of the stadium, leading to trouble
Viral clips on social media showed fights breaking out in the concourse at Stamford Bridge
Unfortunately, the presence of away fans in the home end led to several clashes.
One video that went viral showed rival supporters fighting in the concourse at Stamford Bridge, while another saw nasty moments occur in the Matthew Harding Stand.
In the concourse clip, punches were being thrown between individuals as others attempted to intervene and calm things down, with one fan knocked to the ground by a blow.
Meanwhile, in the Matthew Harding Stand, tensions boiled over as home and away fans appeared to be furious before Blues supporters hit out at the club on social media.
One said: ‘Away fans were literally everywhere today at Stamford Bridge. I’ve never seen anything like that before. West View Upper was packed with them.’
Another shared a similar view and highlighted the continued problem of ticket touting at Chelsea.
They added: ‘They were everywhere tonight, was in west stand and I’ve never heard it so loud turns out loads of away fans were there too… actually embarrassing from the club that this sort of touting is happening. It’s only going to get worse next season with Ticketmaster especially if we’re in Champions League.’
The Chelsea Supporters Trust also criticised the club for the ‘serious safety issue’ that had been caused.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Before the start of the game, hundreds of Djurgarden fans climbed into the away end
There were further nasty clashes in the Matthew Harding Stand as tensions boiled over
‘The CST has issued a call for evidence following Thursday’s UEFA Conference League vs. Djurgarden, in which huge number of away supporters were able to infiltrate large areas of the home end.
‘This is the most serious breach of stadium security in recent memory, and it significantly undermines any security protocols Chelsea FC put in place ahead of the fixture.
‘As a result, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust will formally write a letter of complaint to Chelsea FC’s COO and Head of Security.
‘We will call for a formal investigation by the club into the ticket sales process and Chelsea FC’s security response during the match.’
During the second half of the clash, Chelsea had taken to social media to acknowledge what had gone on.
‘At the start of this evening’s #UECL match, Chelsea FC were aware some away fans gained access to areas of the stadium in violation of our ticketing policy,’ they said.
‘The Chelsea supporters sitting in the immediate areas impacted were relocated, with additional security and police deployed.’
The Djurgarden away support was largely praised for being extremely loud, but several other videos on social media also revealed just how widespread their presence within the stadium was.
Djurgarden’s support was extremely loud and they had fans in sections around the stadium
A video at full-time showed Djurgarden fans filling up much of Stamford Bridge’s West Stand
In fact, following full-time, as the stadium emptied out, the scale of their infiltration into the home end was laid bare as they could be seen filling up much of the West Stand.
Chelsea then released another statement as more details emerged at what had gone on and promised to review Thursday’s proceedings.
‘The safety and security of all fans is of paramount importance to Chelsea Football Club,’ they said.
‘For tonight’s UEFA Conference League semi-final against Djurgarden, the club implemented increased restrictions on the sale and distribution of tickets.
‘Despite these measures, we are aware of a large number of away supporters in home areas across the stadium at tonight’s match.
‘We will be reviewing all ticketing arrangements following this evening’s match and commit to implementing all necessary changes following this review. We will also share all our findings with the Fan Advisory Board.’
