London: Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane has publicly apologised after violent behaviour from the club’s supporters disrupted their Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Thursday. The troubling scenes included objects being thrown toward Villa players—one of which struck Donyell Malen, causing a cut to his head.
Tensions escalated shortly after Villa’s celebrations, prompting confrontations between the visiting supporters and police officials. The unrest led to a five-minute stoppage as authorities worked to restore order.
Addressing the incident, Seoane expressed regret and criticised the unacceptable conduct of the fans, though he noted that Villa’s goal celebrations may have been perceived as provocative.
“It’s normal to celebrate after scoring, but perhaps it came across as a small provocation,” Seoane said.
“However, that does not justify this behaviour. We apologise for our fans’ actions.”
He further clarified that while some supporters moved toward the players in what appeared to be supportive gestures, the police misinterpreted the movement as an attempted pitch invasion, escalating tensions.
Despite the off-field chaos, Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory, with Malen scoring both goals. Manager Unai Emery condemned the unnecessary scenes and stressed the importance of respect and sportsmanship.
Malen, who continued playing despite the incident, is reported to be recovering well from the minor injury.
Seoane reaffirmed his stance that emotional moments in football must not cross the line into violence:
“This is not who we are. Football is emotional, but respect is essential. No one benefits from incidents like these.”
The event has sparked renewed calls for stricter crowd management and reinforced safety protocols at European competitions.
