West Ham beat Fiorentina 2:1 in the final match of the European Conference League at the Prague-Eden arena on Wednesday. Photo credit: Policie ČR, via Twitter.
Prague, June 9 (CTK) – The police detained 23 football fans in connection with Wednesday’s European Conference League final match in Prague between Fiorentina and West Ham, and three of them are still in police cells, Prague police spokesman Jan Rybansky told CTK yesterday.
17 of the fans were detained after a conflict in a bar on Rytirska in the centre of Prague on Wednesday afternoon, before the match, when Fiorentina fans attacked West Ham United supporters, injuring three.
Rybansky said one person involved in the brawl was suspected of the criminal offence of violence against an official, and another two of rioting. The other fans had to pay a fine for a misdemeanour, before being released.
“Three people are currently still in police cells in the Czech Republic and are subject to standard criminal proceedings,” the spokesman said.
Some 20 people were arrested on suspicion of committing misdemeanours, 19 of whom were accused of disobeying an official. One person was arrested at around 0:30 on Thursday morning for using firecrackers on Old Town Square in the historical centre. Police officers fined these fans CZK 2,000 each and then released them.
The fans used fireworks at other places in Prague as well, for instance, at the Eden railway station near the football stadium. Separately, a bomb disposal expert seized a piece of luggage with amateur fireworks in Wenceslas Square in the centre of the city.
The Italian and English football clubs played the final match of the European Conference League at the Prague-Eden arena last night, when West Ham United won the trophy beating Fiorentina 2-1.
Around 35,000 football fans arrived in Prague for the match, according to the police.
Rybansky said the Italian team’s fans had been leaving the Czech Republic by special planes since early morning hours. Some of the English team’s fans are still in the country, and the police are monitoring their movements.
