TWO Croatian football fans were stabbed in what police described as a “disgraceful incident” after a mass brawl involving around 40 people broke out ahead of Rangers’ European qualifier in Glasgow on Thursday night.
The pair, aged 24 and 40, were injured in a “large-scale disturbance” in the Govan area of the city in the run-up to the Ibrox side’s match against Croatian side Osijek.
The victims, both now revealed to be Croatian nationals, were taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment. The younger man was released from hospital yesterday morning, while the 40-year-old was to be discharged later in the day. Police Scotland said it had no information that the fight had been pre-arranged.
Officers were called to Edmiston Drive near Paisley Road West just after 7pm. Footage on social media appeared to show fights between some fans of the two clubs ahead of the Europa League second qualifying round, second-leg tie.
Film uploaded to Twitter appeared to show one supporter being kicked about the body while lying prone in the road, as another was seen running around holding a flare.
Police appealed for information about the disturbance. A dedicated team of officers was examining CCTV footage and carrying out door-to-door inquiries in the area to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident, the force said.
Detective Chief Inspector Craig Willison, of Greater Glasgow CID, added: “Extensive inquiries are ongoing to identify the individuals involved in this disgraceful incident. I would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time, particularly those with mobile phone or dash-cam footage, to get in touch.”
The match ended 1-1 with Rangers going through on aggregate.
Manager Steven Gerrard said: “As a club we don’t condone that type of behaviour, we don’t want to see scenes like that.”
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