Much of the talk surrounding Rangers’ Europa League final meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt tonight has centred around both sides defying the odds to make it to the last game of Europe’s second tier competition.
However, there has been an equal amount of publicity surrounding the violence that fans may bring and indeed have already brought.
Social media has been abuzz today with various clips of Rangers fans causing havoc in Seville, with the usual scenes of chair and bottle throwing, hitting rival fans, and disrupting traffic all on show.
Below are videos which appear to be showing a large crowd of Rangers fans fighting with a smaller group of Eintracht Frankfurt supporters, with some sporting balaclavas.
Hay VAR pic.twitter.com/37Rzh2P8W1
— Rancio Moderno (@RancioModerno) May 18, 2022
It is unclear what started the riot, whether it was a specific incident or just general supporter violence.
Earlier in the week, Rangers fans had been kicked off a flight to Seville, which prompted ex-players Graeme Souness and ex-Celtic striker Chris Sutton to release video pleas to fans, to help prevent any further ruckus.
🇬🇧 Remember who you represent.
🎉 Stay safe and enjoy the party.#UEL pic.twitter.com/c6RtO0A5az— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 15, 2022
A message to Rangers fans in Seville 👍 pic.twitter.com/sXVO3nF8H2
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) May 16, 2022
The Spanish police have been gearing up for the prospect of violence leading up to tonight's final, and we reported yesterday on what Juan Carlos Castro the Chief Commissioner of the National Police had to say.
"There are already many fans, who were in the bars, and when closing time came, they did not want to leave. So they have made a ruckus, all peaceful at the moment, but they are nuisances"
"If they drink hot beer in their countries, when they drink it cold here, they will drink even more."
"We are receiving information from the Scottish Police that there are many citizens who have taken the entire week of vacation and have come to Spain, to areas where it is common for them to spend the summer and even have houses, such as the Costa del Sol, to then travel to Seville on the day of the match," said the head of the Citizen Security."
Of course it is not just Rangers fans who are the guilty party, and arrests of five Frankfurt fans have already been made following an attack on a group of Rangers fans.
Peleas, lanzamiento de objetos, destrozo del patrimonio, botellones en pleno Ayuntamiento… No quiero ser alarmista, pero 5.500 agentes tienen difícil controlar a los 150.000 aficionados que se esperan. La permisividad y falta de previsión del alcalde nos pueden salir muy caros. pic.twitter.com/3hUtOlpgGY
— José Luis Sanz 🇺🇦 (@jlsanzalcalde) May 18, 2022
SEE ALSO: Europa League Final: Five Arrests As Frankfurt Supporters Attack Rangers Fans
