Before AS Roma and Feyenoord Rotterdam meet in the final of the Conference League, things have already cracked. Rival fan groups have clashed – and injured police officers.
Violent clashes broke out on Tuesday evening ahead of the Conference League final in the Albanian capital of Tirana. As the police said, fans of the Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam hit a local with a chair, so that he had to be hospitalized.
Feyenoord supporters also injured ten police officers with “sticks and stones” while attempting to break into the zone of fans from opposing club AS Roma.
100,000 fans are expected
An AFP reporter observed violent clashes between rival supporter groups in three locations in Tirana. According to the police, a total of around 60 supporters from both camps were arrested.
Although the stadium of Tirana can only accommodate 21,000 spectators, around 100,000 fans of both teams are expected in the city for the final on Wednesday evening. The police are on duty with around 2,000 officers. According to the authorities, fans will be divided into separate fan zones and will be able to follow the final on big screens.