Brighton fans ‘teargassed by mistake’ after Greek police attempt to clear rowdy AEK Athens supporters – following the Seagulls’ 1-0 Europa League win
- Fans were caught up in Greek police’s action to disperse AEK Athens supporters
- They had seen their side claim a famous victory thanks to Joao Pedro’s penalty
- Manchester United in a mess – they have a collapse in them – It’s All Kicking Off
Some Brighton fans were exposed to tear gas used by Greek police to disperse AEK Athens supporters after their Europa League clash on Thursday.
Seagulls supporters could be seen covering their mouths and noses after the final whistle at the Opap Arena.
Police attempted to clear the home fans – some of whom who had lingered by the Perspex partition which divided the rival supporters – but inadvertently caught Brighton fans in their action.
Club police liaison PC Darren Balkham stressed that Brighton fans were not the intended target and revealed supporters were praised for their ‘excellent behaviour’ during the game.
‘A number of cannisters were fired resulting in the gas coming back into the stadium due to the still night.’ He wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Brighton fans were seen covering their mouths and noses after they were exposed to the gas
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‘I know a number of you were affected (as were we) we gave reassurance to those who needed it straight after and informed fans of what had happened.
‘To be clear this was not aimed at Brighton fans at all and police have praised your excellent behaviour.’
Supporters had seen their side claim a famous victory after Joao Pedro’s second-half penalty secured progression from the group stages.
In a club statement, Brighton hailed their supporters and pledged to investigate the incident further.
‘Once again the travelling Albion fans have been a credit to the club and supported the team on another historic night for the club.’ The statement read.
Joao Pedro celebrates scoring Brighton’s winning goal against AEK Athens on Thursday night
‘We are aware of a small number of minor incidents at full-time in the home section of the ground.
‘We understand this resulted in police clearing the home area with the use of teargas. None was directed at the away section.
‘However we are also aware that this inadvertently affected a number of Albion supporters in the away section.
‘We will investigate further and seek clarity from AEK Athens – who as a club were excellent hosts – and from UEFA, but at this point will not make any further comment.’
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