Locals in Bilbao expressed fury and disgust as Tottenham and Manchester United fans unleashed an orgy of drunken, yobbish behaviour ahead of tonight’s Europa League final.
An estimated 80,000 fans of both teams are descending on the city in what has been described as an ‘English invasion’, but locals of the Basque city were left gobsmacked at their inebriated state ahead of kick off that resulted in vandalism, minor scuffles and widespread anti-social behaviour.
Thousands of Tottenham fans gathered along two major avenues in the centre of Bilbao bringing traffic to a halt as they drank beer and sang late into Tuesday night.
Fans, many of them shirtless, climbed lampposts, destroyed traffic lights and vandalised other property as shocked residents looked on.
Police eventually ordered bars in the area to close at around midnight, earlier than usual, by which time some Tottenham fans had been drinking for almost 12 hours buying beer that cost five Euros a glass-almost double the normal price.
Izaro Laka, 65 who lives close to where they had gathered said: ‘I’ve never seen people so drunk and behaving so badly. The English are yobs and all they want to do when they come to Spain is drink and cause trouble.
A resident protested against Man United fans putting up banners close to his apartment
United fans have been boozing in Spain as kick off for the Europa League final draws closer
One fan loses his balance and knocks over his drink during the build up to the big game
Some locals were cordial with the British visitors, including these Athletic Club fans
Locals in Bilbao expressed fury and disgust at vandalism, minor scuffles and widespread anti-social behaviour ahead of the Europa League final between Tottenham and Man United
Fans were pictured standing on traffic lights and climbing lamposts in the Spanish city
Local resident Manuel claimed ‘it’s only the English that do this’ and that ‘once they’ve had a drink they become hooligans’, while Daniel Leston, right, said the ‘rowdy behaviour and fighting is totally unacceptable’
‘I’m used to seeing football fans coming to Bilbao from all over Spain and Europe because the ground is very close to me. But these English fans are like out-of-control animals.’
Manchester United fans took over the Plaza Neuva, in the heart of Bilbao’s old town. The picturesque square is surrounded by stylish bars and eateries specialising in serving Pintxos, small snacks typical in Spain’s Basque region.
With team colours hanging all around the square, fans let off red flares and clambered onto tables and chairs as they knocked back beer and sang, their voices echoing around the cobbled lanes of Bilbao’s historic quarter.
One fan, clearly the worse for wear, attempted to climb up scaffolding to get on the balcony of an overlooking flat, leading to widespread cheers from his fellow supporters. The furious owner rushed into his property and emerged with a cane to stop him from getting any higher, leading to roars of ‘United.’
As the evening wore on and the atmosphere became more boisterous, police were forced to intervene as scuffles broke out amongst the Manchester United fans.
Odon Sanchez, a regular at the Sorginzulo bar in Plaza Nueva, which is considered one of the finest in the city told MailOnline: ‘We love our football in Bilbao, but the conduct of these people disgusts me. I don’t understand why they behave like this, they should be ashamed of themselves.
‘This part of Bilbao is very beautiful and historic, tourists love coming here. But we don’t want people like this, our lives have been disrupted and I can’t wait for them to go home.’
Bar worker Luka said: ‘I’ve been serving alcohol day. I didn’t know people could drink this much. The English have an endless appetite for beer.’
One fan had attempted to climb up scaffolding to get on the balcony of an overlooking flat, with the furious owner rushed into his property and emerged with a cane to stop him
Manchester United fans let off red flares as their gathered in the build-up to Wednesday’s final
One local complained that English fans just want to drink having descended on the city
A bar worker claimed they had been serving beer all day to supporters on the eve of the match
Fans have reportedly been drinking beer costing double the normal price in Bilbao
No major incidents or arrests, however, have been reported at locations where fans are staying
Local resident Daniel Leston, 78 said: ‘I’m a big football fan but there’s no excuse for people behaving like this.
‘This rowdy behaviour and fighting is totally unacceptable. It is disgraceful. These so-called football fans should be ashamed of themselves. I just wish these people would go.’
Manuel, 80 said: ‘I’m a big Real Madrid fan but I’ve never seen our supporters behave like this. It’s only the English that do this. They get very drunk, that’s the main problem. I’m sure a lot of them are very nice when they’re sober but once they’ve had a drink they become hooligans.’
At both locations where Tottenham and Manchester United had gathered, local drug dealers weaved amongst them offering bags of cocaine for around 100 Euros.
Around 50 miles away, there were further reports of mayhem caused by Tottenham and Manchester United fans who had spent the day drinking. Rival groups clashed in San Sebastian and Santander, where many supporters are staying because of excoriate hotel prices in Bilbao.
Despite the widespread mayhem, no major incidents or arrests were reported at any of the locations where fans are staying.
Many of those who spent the day in Bilbao bragged how they had drunk anything between 20 and 30 pints.
Tottenham fan George Mitchell from Hertfordshire said: ‘We’ve been on it all day and it’s been great, but I hope that things don’t get out of control. So far, it’s just been a bit of fun and quite rowdy but that’s what you’d expect at a major football match. It’s what the English do.’
Man United and Tottenham fans have clashed in San Sebastian, located 48 miles from Bilbao
Police have confirmed, however, that no arrests were made despite the incident
Both teams have been allocated 15,000 tickets for the final at the San Mames Stadium
An estimated 50,000 fans are expected to be in the city without tickets for the final
The centre of Bilbao has effectively been divided into two with one side for Tottenham fans and the other for Manchester United
Giant screens have also been erected so that those without tickets can watch the game
Man United fans have been based in Plaza Nueva in the city in the build-up to the final
Manchester United fan Jasbir Gill said: ‘There’s ten of us out here and we haven’t stopped drinking. I’m pretty sure that we’re going to carry on doing the same right up until the game starts.’
Bilbao is mounting the biggest security operation in its history with an estimated 5,000 police and security personnel on duty for tonight’s game.
Each of the Premier League clubs have been allocated 15,000 tickets each for the final but an estimated 50,000 fans, many of them expected to be supporters of Tottenham could be in the city without tickets, causing a major security headache for organisers.
Police are putting in place three safety rings around the 53,000 capacity San Mames stadium to ensure ticketless fans cannot get close to it and all roads around it have been closed to traffic. Separate routes have also been created for Tottenham and Manchester United supporters accessing the ground.
The centre of Bilbao has effectively been divided into two with one side for Tottenham fans and the other for Manchester United. Giant screens have also been erected so that those without tickets can watch the game.
Bingen Zuperia, the security advisor for the Basque Government described the security operation as the largest ever not just in Bilbao but the entire Basque region and admitted that he was ‘nervous.’
He said: ‘We are constantly reviewing the operation. I won’t hide the fact that I’m nervous; this job generates moments of anxiety. This will be the largest security deployment in the history of the Basque country.’
In another headache for organisers, officials have been working around the clock to ensure the lights do not go out on the showpiece event.
Bilbao was severely hit by the power outage which occurred in Spain and Portugal recently causing widespread chaos as daily life, transportation and industrial operations came to a grinding halt.
Footage on social media showed two Man United fans wearing Ronaldo shirts having beer thrown at them by Tottenham supporters
Several Tottenham fans were seen on a boat in the build-up to the crunch clash tonight
Bilbao is mounting the biggest security operation in its history with an estimated 5,000 police and security personnel on duty for tonight’s game
A security advisor for the Basque Government described the security operation as the largest ever not just in Bilbao but the entire Basque region
Specialists from Red Electrica de Espana, the partly state-owned company that operates the country’s national electricity grid have put in place a raft of measures to prevent an outage and stepped-up monitoring of the city’s electricity supply in the run up to tonight’s match.
An official told MailOnline: ‘The eyes of the world will be on us, and Bilbao has never experienced a sporting event like this. We cannot afford to have another power outage because that would be an embarrassing disaster.
‘We are not just talking about the actual match but also the security operation, the experience the fans have and even paying for a drink-we need power for everything. The grid operators and local authorities are working closely to prevent any kind of power loss.’
