Violent scenes broke out in Birmingham tonight as travelling football fans from Legia Warsaw clashed with police.
Multiple police officers were hurt as "missiles" were hurled at them by away fans who were in the city to support the Polish team in their match against Aston Villa.
A number of flares were lit and officers were forced to pen the travelling cohort into a car park as they sort to restore order.
In a statement on social media, Birmingham Police said: "We're currently unable to allow away fans into Villa Park following disorder outside the stadium which has seen missiles thrown at officers.
Police penned troublesome fans into a car park
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"Three officers have already been injured & a significant policing operation continues."
They urged people to avoid the area until further notice.
The Europa Conference match kicked off on time at 8pm despite the away fans' absence.
The clash took place after the Polish club saw heir ticket allocation reduced to just under 1,000 for the European fixture amid concerns over fan behaviour.
The clashes took place ahead of kick off in the Europa Conference
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Three police officers were injured in the violent clashes
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No away fans have been allowed in to the Villa Park stadium
REUTERS
However, over 1,000 fans still made the journey without tickets to Birmingham in order to support their team.
Legia Warsaw has blamed Aston Villa for the violence, claiming that the reduced ticket allocation "exacerbated" the situation.
It said: "Instead of diffusing potential pre-match tensions, restrictive measures of Aston Villa FC as the host club needlessly exacerbate the atmosphere.
"In our view, such measures are counterproductive and unfounded.
The match kicked off on time despite the fans' absence
REUTERS
"In a recent development, Aston Villa FC has firmly declined to adhere to Uefa competition regulations by refusing to allocate the stipulated pool of tickets for visiting supporters.
"As per Uefa competition regulations, visiting fans are entitled to a ticket allocation equivalent to 5 per cent of the stadium's capacity.
"For matches hosted at the grounds of Aston Villa FC, this translates to a pool of 2,100 tickets.
"Legia Warsaw, as the visiting contingent, made a formal request for this allocation but was met with an unwelcome rejection."
