police vans
Two hours before the Europa League final began, tensions rose as Eintracht Frankfurt supporters and Rangers fans clashed near the Sevilla stadium. The fray started along the main streets leading to the Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, with the Vidal area around the Saint Bernard Bridge and the approach to Edward Dato Street seeing the first confrontations between the groups. Bars in the area emptied quickly as fans, many with drinks in hand, were pulled into the escalating conflict just a short distance from the venue. The atmosphere grew tense well before the whistle, underscoring the vulnerability of a city ready to host a major international match.
The clash intensified on Avenida de Louis Montotto and its adjacent avenues near the Carmona Gate, where police sources indicated German supporters actively attacked Scottish supporters. At approximately 6:30 pm, police reported that at least five National Police vehicles had arrived to restore order and separate the rival groups. The early show of force aimed to prevent further bloodshed and to deter any spread of violence that might disrupt the final preparations or the fans headed to the stadium.
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As evening settled in, additional patrols and cordons were deployed around Seville’s central cathedral area where a larger crowd had gathered. Reported disturbances involved Eintracht Frankfurt supporters in direct confrontation with Glasgow Rangers fans, with the surrounding streets filling up with a tense atmosphere despite the city’s efforts to keep the peace. While the incident was actively unfolding, the authorities moved quickly to de-escalate the situation and prevent a wider clash in a city that was preparing to welcome tens of thousands of football supporters and visitors for the event.
Seville remained home to a significant crowd, many of whom arrived ticketless as UEFA had allotted a limited number of seats to each club. The balance between security measures and the fan experience was a delicate one as officials worked to ensure the safety of everyone in the area while the match-day activities continued in other parts of the city.
Instances of unrest reported around the venues were handled with firmness by law enforcement, and several fans were detained as a precautionary measure to prevent further disturbances. The situation highlighted the constant challenge of policing large, diverse crowds in the context of a high-stakes European final, where passion can briefly spill over into violence despite the best efforts of event organizers and the city authorities.
In the hours leading up to kickoff, observers noted how quickly the mood could swing in certain pockets of the city, with some fans reacting to provocation or taunting from rival groups. The event served as a reminder that sport can bring out intense emotions and that robust security planning remains essential to safeguarding participants and spectators alike. The authorities continued their patrols and monitoring through the night, ready to respond to any new incident and to ensure that the final could proceed with as little disruption as possible. The reporting on the scene came from multiple eyewitness accounts, including non-official social media posts that captured the rapid development of the clashes and the immediate police response. reported by observers in the area and relayed by witnesses via social media networks. Andreas Weiss via X provided early observations of the tense atmosphere and the scale of the confrontations, which were subsequently corroborated by security updates from the National Police. May 18, 2022, was marked by the visible presence of law enforcement and the swift actions taken to reestablish order in the heart of Seville during the match event.