Over 20 hurt in riots around Lens-PSV match

The Championship League match between RC Lens and PSV (1-1) got out of hand in the French city on Tuesday evening. In the Bollaert-Delelis stadium, PSV supporters threw chairs and fireworks from their section toward an adjacent area with Lens supporters. Before the match, there were riots in the city, resulting in 24 people sustaining minor injuries, AD reports.

About 2,000 PSV fans went to Lens for the match. In advance, the Lens authorities said they expected “almost 2,000 Dutch supporters, of which approximately 500 hooligans.”

Before the match, riots broke out in the city itself and then near the stadium. The police used tear gas and batons to get the crowds under control.

The PSV supporters misbehaved again during the match. At half-time, they tore out chairs from the away section and threw them and fireworks at an area of Lens supporters. The Lens supporters retaliated and started throwing the chairs back. The riot police responded quickly to prevent a confrontation between the fans.

PSV captain Luuk de Jong was disappointed by the fans. “That’s always annoying, you don’t want to see these kinds of things. It’s a small group that does that. They ruin it for everyone else,” he said. “If we have to play away games without fans, that will also affect the players.”

The Eindhoven club can expect another punishment from UEFA. Last season, UEFA sentenced PSV to play one away match without fans after Eindhoven supporters committed vandalism and threw objects at the match against Arsenal in the Europa League. PSV also had to pay a fine of 40,000 euros and consult with Arsenal about compensation for the damage.