Two fans have been injured in confrontations ahead of the Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea in Azerbaijan.
One British fan was taken to hospital with a head wound and bruising “as a result of an altercation between fans of the two football teams” in Baku, Health Ministry spokesman Parviz Abubekirov said.
A Russian man was hurt in an unconnected incident in a bar and treated at the scene, Mr Abubekirov added.
?? The road to Baku for Chelsea & Arsenal ?#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/CSBSLsv2ra
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 29, 2019
Relatively few English fans have travelled to Azerbaijan for Wednesday’s final because of high travel costs, and neither Arsenal nor Chelsea sold out their allocations of 6,000 tickets apiece.
However, many fans of both clubs have flown in from Russia and South East Asia, and both Arsenal and Chelsea have local supporters in Azerbaijan.
