Aston Villa supporters were caught up in chaotic scenes with French police before their Europa League clash with Lille on Thursday night.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show officers swinging batons at travelling fans and closing stadium gates as tensions escalated outside the ground.
Aston Villa fans tasered by French police outside Europa League clash vs Lille
The incident, which has been described as “absolutely shocking” by some fans, occurred outside Stade Pierre-Mauroy ahead of Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa League Last 16 fixture against LOSC Lille.
Video shared online appears to show police officers confronting groups of Villa supporters, with batons reportedly being used as stewards, and police hurriedly shut a metal gate to prevent fans from entering the stadium through that access point.
Some supporters also claimed tasers were deployed during the confrontation, although the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.
“All this after we had already shown our tickets twice,” another Villa supporter claimed on social media.
Despite the disorder outside the ground, thousands of Villa fans eventually made it into the away end to witness a valuable 1-0 victory, with Ollie Watkins scoring the decisive goal to give the Premier League side an advantage heading back to Villa Park next week.
FGG says: French police have form for shocking scenes like this
The footage will make uncomfortable viewing for many English supporters, given previous controversies involving policing at major matches in France.
Most notably, fans of Liverpool were tear-gassed and prevented from entering Stade de France before the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final – an incident that was later heavily criticised following independent investigations.
While the exact details of the latest confrontation in Lille still need clarifying, the images once again raise questions about crowd management and the treatment of visiting supporters at high-profile fixtures in France.