Chelsea, Man City Fans Involved in Violent Clashes in Porto Ahead of Champions League Final

English fans descending on Porto for the Champions League final were involved in violent clashes on Thursday night, the UK Daily mail is reporting

Video footage shows a number of different skirmishes by the Douro river and supporters are said to have locked horns with the local police after the bars closed at 10.30pm.

Local television in Porto showed footage of various incidents with Chelsea and Manchester City fans arriving ahead of Saturday night’s huge game.

One clip showed a chaotic scene with a number of people running across a road, horns blaring, whistles and yells disturbing the night.

According to reports, Chelsea and City fans clashed with Porto police and each-other in altercations that could lead to heightened security being deployed on the streets.

The latest violence follows similarly shocking incidents on Wednesday night. Manchester United and City fans violently clashed and had to be broken up by baton-wielding military police.

The City supporters took extra delight in seeing United lose the Europa League final on penalties on Wednesday night.

Their jubilation in an Albufeira resort rubbed salt in the wounds for United fans and trouble flared up in popular district bar Oura, according to Portuguese outlet, Expresso.

An eyewitness told the Sun: ‘That set off pushing and shoving followed by fighting in the street.

‘Military police had to wade in with batons to break it up.’

There were no serious injuries sustained in the skirmishes and as yet no reports of anyone being arrested or charged.

The day before, United fans watched their side lose out in devastating fashion against underdogs Villarreal on Wednesday in Gdansk and clearly emotions were running high.

The game finished 1-1 in 90 minutes and the score remained the same in extra time. After 10 players scored for both sides, it came down to the goalkeepers taking spot kicks.

United’s David de Gea had his saved and the English club finished their season with a whimper and no silverware.

City are preparing to face familiar Premier League foes Chelsea in the Champions League showpiece in the Estadio do Dragao on Saturday.

A total of 16,500 fans are allowed to watch the game in the stadium, 33 per cent of the 50,000 capacity, but many more have travelled either in the hope of finding a ticket or simply to be in close proximity to the action while on holiday.

Fans have to have proof of a negative PCR Covid test to enter the venue carried out from May 26 or lateral flow test from May 28.

The game was originally supposed to take place in Istanbul, but the UK put Turkey on the red list.

Many fans will take day trips on Saturday to the final and will be escorted to and from the stadium and airport to limit exposure in a Covid bubble.

But there are others arriving in Porto who are not restricted by those measures and no doubt the local authorities will be braced for any more violence in the coming days.

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