Uefa Nations League 2019: England fans clash with Portuguese police ahead of semi-final against Netherlands

England football’s Nations League campaign was marred on Wednesday night by violent clashes between England fans and Portuguese police in Porto’s Praça da Liberdade.

The Liberdade square, at the heart of the city, was designated as the ‘fan meeting point’ for Portugal fans watching their 3-1 semi-final win over Switzerland. But it filled up with England fans staying in Porto ahead of England’s semi-final against the Netherlands on Thursday night. There were two big screens in the square, with Portugal fans gathering at one end and England fans at the other.

Reports differ on what started the violence at roughly 8.15pm but one theory voiced by multiple eyewitnesses is that England fans clashed with Portugal fans who were celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo’s first half opening goal in that match. England fans started to throw beer bottles and cans at Portugal fans and at the nearby police, prompting a charge by riot police, dispersing the England fans beyond the northern end of the square. Some England fans reported injuries, having been struck with batons, while three were reportedly arrested.

The square was then effectively closed off by dozens of riot police with helmets and shields, as well as police vans and police dogs. By 10.30pm the square was empty but was carpeted with broken glass bottles that had been thrown.

There was no more mass violence on Wednesday night but there were sporadic clashes just before midnight on the Rua de Candidos dos Reis where England fans subsequently gathered, as well as minor acts of vandalism such as ripping bins from their stands. These clashes represent a continuation in violence ahead of England matches in Europe in recent years, after incidents in Amsterdam, Dortmund and Seville.

British police on the scene said that their main concern was England’s game in Guimaraes on Thursday night, where England fans are expected to dominate the 26,000-seater stadium. There are believed to be 20,000 England fans in Portugal – far more than their official 10,000 allocation for Thursday night – many of whom have travelled without tickets. The police are concerned about travel from Porto to Guimaraes, with the authorities expected to close roads leading into the town at 5pm, forcing fans to take the 90-minute train journey unless they travel on official coaches.

With the Nations League final not until Sunday night, there is a fear that this might just be the start of a week of clashes in Porto. A total of 9,000 Portuguese police officers have already been deployed to police the tournament.

Deputy chief constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead, said last night that the behaviour was “completely unacceptable” and “incredibly disappointing”. “The behaviour of a small number of the England fans out here continues to tarnish the reputation of the genuine fans who are simply trying to enjoy the football.”

The Football Association has since branded Wednesday night’s scenes as an “embarrassment”.

An FA spokesperson said: “The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight. Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football. They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way.

“We are liaising with the UK Football Policing Unit.”