Paris Saint-Germain have criticised the Metropolitan Police and Chelsea after several of their supporters were turned away from Thursday night’s Champions League tie at Kingsmeadow.
A 2-0 victory for Emma Hayes’s side was marred by events beforehand when a group of PSG’s “ultra” supporters were turned away from the ground before kick-off, with police later confirming reports that they had confiscated knives and knuckledusters when they searched the fans’ coach. One man was also arrested for possession of a Class A substance but rather than condemn their supporters, a statement from PSG on Friday appeared to blame the police and Chelsea for not allowing them to watch the game.
“We repeat that the local authorities have not brought any evidence of wrongdoing, or at least no facts which would justify such a ban on attending the match,” read the statement.
“All of our supporters were searched, and if any of these searches or facts had been under criminal law, we can imagine that the concerned supporter (s) would not have been able to leave British territory without being disturbed.
“Surprisingly, we note that Chelsea, on the morning of the match, did not want the presence of our supporters, arguing of alleged damage to the stadium which was caused, according to local witnesses, prior to the arrival of our fans in London
“We express our fullest support to fans of Paris Saint-Germain who, in the middle of the week, had arranged their schedule to come support our women’s team and we count on their fervour during the return match next Wednesday.”
Police have yet to comment on PSG’s claims, although their statement on Thursday evening said that they had initially been called to Kingsmeadow at 8am after reports of PSG fans causing criminal damage at the stadium. It is understood that a door was damaged and some graffiti was sprayed on nearby walls before they were escorted away, with police also confirming that they had been “made aware of sporadic instances of disorder involving PSG supporters at both Waterloo and Wimbledon stations” later in the day.
“Those involved were identified when they attended Kingsmeadow this evening and were stopped,” it added. “A coach they were travelling in was searched and weapons, including knives and knuckledusters, were recovered along with Class A drugs. One man from the coach was arrested for possession of Class A drugs and the remaining passengers were escorted from the area.”
Goals from Hannah Blundell and Erin Cuthbert gave Chelsea healthy lead ahead of the second leg of the quarter-final next week, although Hayes insisted supporters should not be put off from travelling to Paris by events before the game.
“I don’t think we should discourage anyone from going,” she said. “But at the same time we have got remember that the women’s game is progressing and the fans are following. With that comes the same level of scrutiny. But they have to behave, whether that’s our fans or theirs.”