Liverpool and Sevilla fans disappointingly engaged in a vicious pre-match brawl ahead of the Europa League final this Wednesday night, with the fans clashing in the stadium shortly before kick-off.
We saw the best bits about football culture ahead of Liverpool’s quarter and semi-final matches with Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund, with all three clubs showing a really healthy respect for each other and the fans coming together to celebrate the momentous matches.
In stark contrast we were treated to the darker side of the game ahead of this massive final, with the players coming together in a very different way at pitch-side and clearly looking to do some real damage.
Liverpool fans fighting with Sevilla fans inside the stadium. pic.twitter.com/12zMrbkZ9k
— Liverpool FC Vines (@LFC_Vines) May 18, 2016
Obviously fighting is never something you want to see in football, from fans or players. This incident got particularly nasty at times though, with fans set upon and kicked once they’d fallen to the ground.
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Hopefully this scuffle wasn’t a sign of things to come and we enjoy a relatively incident free final in Basel, Switzerland. Considering what we’ve seen and with so much riding on the game that doesn’t seem all that likely, as both teams will be desperate to secure Champions League football. The match officials may well find themselves with a real match on their hands, but hopefully they are able to keep control.