Aston Villa’s home match against BSC Young Boys in the Europa League was temporarily suspended after away fans clashed with police at Villa Park.
An object was thrown at forward Donyell Mullen, who scored Villa’s first goal, and it also appears to have hit Morgan Rodgers.
The mayhem continued after Villa’s second goal, with more things being thrown at Malen.
Aston Villa players spoke to the referee after Malen was hit by an object thrown by a Young Boys fan
Young Boys’ captain Loris Benito went to the supporters to try to calm the situation, but concerns were high at the scene as fans clashed with police, some were punched, and seats were thrown.
When the game restarted minutes after the second goal, some fans were ejected.
There were no particular problems in the second half.
“An unpleasant sight at Villa Park”
Donyell Mullen was hit by an object after scoring his first goal.
Rob Jones on Sky Sports at Villa Park:
“The atmosphere was really good for the first 40 minutes of the game, the Young Boys fans were making a good noise, there was plenty of energy but when Aston Villa scored the first goal the atmosphere changed on that side of the stadium.
“After Donyell Mullen scored a goal, he ran towards the Young Boys fans, but not in a hostile manner. He wasn’t that close, but as he ran to that side of the ground, a number of things were thrown at him by the visiting supporters, one of which obviously hit Mullen in the head.”
“He ended the first half by scoring the second goal with a bright gash on his head.
“He scored the second goal and ran towards the same side of the ground but couldn’t get anywhere close to the Young Boys supporters. They tried their best to throw something at him but he was too far away.
Mullen was seen with a cut on his head after his first goal celebration.
“Following the incident, the argument between the stewards and Young Boys fans inside the ground became even more heated. Initially plastic cups were being thrown, but then at least two or three pale blue sheets were thrown by Young Boys supporters.”
“The game was then delayed as the stewards joined up with the supporters who were at the front right of the stand and two or three supporters were sent off.
Police were attacked by objects and away fans also threw punches at officers.
“What we saw was quite disturbing.”
Young Boys Coach: I’m sorry.
Young Boys head coach Gerardo Seoane said of the crowd incident that disrupted the match against Aston Villa.
“I think it’s normal when you score a goal to want to celebrate with your teammates. Maybe it was a small provocation, I don’t know. The fans may have taken it as a provocation, but I think it’s part of football. The fans shouldn’t react so violently.”
“The referee told the captain to go to the supporters. He went there to calm things down a bit. I think some supporters came down to talk to them and the police reacted as if they were going to rush onto the pitch, which was not their intention. This is what I know and I think they reacted a little too early.”
“It’s unfortunate for everyone to provoke, to throw things, to think that someone was going to jump onto the pitch. I don’t think it’s a good outcome for anyone and of course I apologize. It doesn’t feel good.
“That’s not usually how our supporters want to behave when they’re guests somewhere. I think in the end no one wins and in this situation everyone loses.”
