Shropshire Star

Wolves lodge complaint to UEFA over fan treatment in Braga

Wolves have lodged a formal complaint to UEFA over 'safety and security concerns' during the club's Europa League clash with Braga.

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The club has said they have received an 'unprecedented number' of complaints from fans 'who were left disappointed, distressed and in some cases injured' before and during Wolves' 3-3 draw in Portugal.

Videos emerged on social media of fans being penned in as they tried to enter the stadium as police used batons to hold many of them back, only allowing small sections of fans into the ground at a time.

This came after a group of Wolves fans were attacked in Porto ahead of the match.

WATCH: Wolves fans caught up in Porto violence

The travelling supporters were involved in several clashes after being targeted by hooligans believed to be supporters of Belgian club Standard Liege.

A statement from the club read: "Wolves takes the safety of its supporters extremely seriously, and these type of incidents are not what is expected when attending events organised by UEFA or its member clubs.

"We sincerely thank all supporters who have taken the time to share their experience with us to help form our report and now await a response from UEFA."

Chaos and crushing

Supporters were hit with batons by police, people were crushed into small spaces in the pouring rain and parents begged stewards to let their crying children through – only to be pushed back by officers dressed in riot gear.

Security were only letting small groups of fans into the stadium at a time and videos showed a chaotic situation at the turnstiles with large groups of fans pushed up against the barriers.

Queueing Wolves fans outside the Estádio Municipal de Braga. Photo: Pete Carvell
Wolves stewards tried to retrieve flags which were confiscated outside the ground

Dave Johnson went to watch the match with his two brothers and a few friends.

But the 34-year-old said the night was "chaos" – he blames poor organisation from Portuguese police and match stewards.

Fans had bags, flags and phone chargers confiscated by guards outside the stadium.

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