Aston Villa v Legia Warszawa: 46 men charged after clashes with police outside Villa Park
Police are continuing to review CCTV and bodycam footage to identify further suspects in public disorder on Thursday.
Saturday 2 December 2023 12:33, UK
Forty-six men have been charged after five police officers were injured during violent scenes outside Villa Park on Thursday.
Clashes occurred before Aston Villa's game against Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening, which involved missiles being thrown at police officers.
Of those arrested, 43 have been charged with a public order offence, while two have been charged with assaulting police officers and another has been charged with possession of a knife, West Midlands Police said.
They are all aged between 21 and 63, and around 40 of them are believed to be from Poland.
A small number are believed to be UK residents, police added.
Two police dogs and two horses were also injured during the incident.
It led to the Polish fans being banned from entering the stadium.
All the men, except one bailed to appear at a later date, are due in court today.
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Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who is overseeing the criminal investigation, said: "Our investigation is very much continuing and we'll be reviewing footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming days.
"To charge this number of people so soon after such a major disorder has taken a huge effort by staff who have been working around the clock.
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"We've had a number of messages of thanks from the club and fans who were present on Thursday night and saw the policing operation first hand, and we are really grateful for that support."
Police are continuing to review CCTV and bodycam footage to identify further suspects.