Two more men arrested in relation to 'worst football violence in decades' after Aston Villa v Warsaw feud

Police have made two further arrests last night in relation to the violent disorder which took place before Aston Villa’s Europa Conference match against Legia Warsaw back in November 2023.

Officers from West Midlands Police and the Met Police made the arrests during Chelsea’s home match against Legia Warsaw on Thursday night after attending the fixture to look for outstanding suspects.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder - one aged 45 and another aged 30. 

The 45 year-old has also been arrested under the extradition act as he is wanted by Polish authorities for offences relating to burglary, robbery and drug trafficking which date back up to 20 years.

They remain in custody as enquiries continue.

Detective Inspector Tom Lyons, said: “We worked closely alongside the Met Police to make these arrests and it just goes to show how relentless we are in pursuing suspects.”

Before Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa Conference League match against Legia Warsaw, WMP officers – along with their colleagues from 11 other forces – faced 90 minutes of sustained violence where flares, missiles, and debris were used as weapons by fans of the Polish football club.

During what is described as the ‘worst football violence in decades’, one officer was taken to hospital with burns and two others were injured. 

Legia supporters threw flares, bottles, tree branches and other assorted objects at mounted officers as tempers flared outside the stadium in "90 minutes of sustained violence" before the scheduled 8pm kick-off, in what Villa later described as “planned and systematic acts” of violence. A total of 14 people needed treatment from paramedics during the evening.

Some 700 hours of body-worn camera footage has been reviewed as part of the investigation.

Two trials have been set for 2025 and 2026.