Six additional men have been arrested at Birmingham Airport following disorder involving Young Boys supporters during Aston Villa's Europa League match on Thursday night. The arrests bring the total number of suspects in custody to eight, after two people were detained during Villa's 2-1 victory.
West Midlands Police reported that a number of officers were assaulted by fans of the Swiss club, with items including broken seats and coins thrown at police and Villa players. Dutch forward Donyell Malen was struck on the head during the incident.
Initially, two away fans were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer. In a later statement, the force confirmed: 'A further six men have been arrested following last night's disorder during the Aston Villa vs BSC Young Boys match. The men were all arrested from Birmingham Airport this afternoon on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and violent disorder.'
Superintendent Paul Minor said: 'The majority of the crowd was in good spirit, but unfortunately, a small minority of away fans caused violence and disrupted the game. An investigation has been launched, and officers are reviewing body-worn video and CCTV from the stadium of the disorder.'
The violence broke out in the lower tier of the Doug Ellis Stand when Villa took the lead, prompting dozens of police officers to deploy in riot gear. Young Boys have a history of fan misconduct; they were fined €28,250 for similar issues at Manchester City two years ago and around €18,000 for pyrotechnic use at Celtic in February.
