MX23RW : Saturday, October 5 14:25:58| >> :600:90378:90378:

Police officer seriously injured as bottles thrown during Leeds promotion celebration

Police officer seriously injured as bottles thrown during Leeds promotion celebration
© Reuters
The club's fans were celebrating promotion back to the Premier League in the city centre.

A police officer was seriously injured and a number of others hurt as thousands of people gathered to celebrate Leeds winning the Championship.

A huge clean-up operation was under way in Leeds on Monday morning after an estimated 7,000 people gathered to mark the club's return to the Premier League after 16 years, leaving a sea of broken glass in a city centre square.

West Yorkshire Police said a female officer was hit by a bottle and taken to hospital with serious head injuries.

A number of other officers were also hurt along with members of the public as nine people were arrested, the force said.

Temporary assistant chief constable Oz Khan said: "Throughout the weekend, fans have gathered across Leeds to celebrate the promotion of Leeds United into the Premier League.

"We have continued to impress upon fans the importance of the Covid-19 government guidance and our approach has primarily remained as one of engagement and encouragement.

Litter in Millennium Square in Leeds after celebrations by fans whose football club won the Championship title and a return to the Premier League
Litter in Millennium Square in Leeds, where thousands gathered to celebrate Leeds United's achievement (Liam Sanders/PA)

"On Sunday, almost 7,000 people gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds.

"Whilst the vast majority of fans were enjoying themselves and celebrating, there were a small minority of people who began to throw bottles at police officers.

"A female officer suffered a serious head injury and was taken to hospital for treatment, a number of other officers suffered minor injuries and a further 15 members of the public were injured."

Mr Khan said officers were deployed to Millennium Square at noon and began to disperse the crowds in the evening.

People walk past litter in the centre of Leeds after celebrations by fans whose football club won the Championship title and a return to the Premier League
People walk past litter in the centre of Leeds (Danny Lawson/PA)

He said the area was cleared by 11.55pm, with nine people arrested for public order offences.

The officer said: "The safety of fans and the wider public is our primary concern.

"Violence towards police officers will not be tolerated and we deployed an appropriate police response to ensure that the festivities concluded safely.

"It is important to remind the public that we must not lose sight of the fact that Covid-19 is still with us and that large gatherings are still not permitted."

Workers clear litter in the centre of Leeds after celebrations by fans whose football club won the Championship title and a return to the Premier League
Workers during the clear-up operation (Danny Lawson/PA)

Millennium Square was left strewn with discarded rubbish and broken glass and a large-scale clear-up operation began on Monday morning.

Large numbers of Leeds fans gathered outside their Elland Road ground when promotion was secured last week.

And there are fears there may be similar scenes at the last game of season against Charlton on Wednesday.

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has urged supporters to be sensible
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has urged supporters to be sensible (Mike Egerton/PA)

During a virtual press conference on Monday, Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani was asked if he had a message for fans.

Radrizzani said: "We need to be responsible. Everybody wishes to get together and celebrate and we would love to open the stadium soon.

"But if we're not following the rules and we take this superficially this might cause more cases, more problems and then we might have to postpone what we want, which is to be back at Elland Road as soon as possible.

"So I really invite them to be more cautious than they've shown in the last 24 hours. I think what I've seen is not responsible at all."

ID:407278: cacheID:407278:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10040:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa pictured on July 4, 2020
Read Next:
Marcelo Bielsa refuses to discuss Leeds future after winning promotion
>
Read more about Andrea Radrizzani Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland96121881019
2Burnley95311441018
3Leeds UnitedLeeds9441157816
4Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd8530103716
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom8512126616
6Norwich CityNorwich94321610615
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn8431149515
8Middlesbrough842295414
9Watford84131213-113
10Oxford UnitedOxford Utd93331311212
11Hull City93331213-112
12Swansea CitySwansea832386211
13Bristol City8242913-410
14Derby CountyDerby83051012-29
15Stoke CityStoke83051012-29
16Preston North EndPreston9234712-59
17Millwall8224121118
18Coventry CityCoventry8224911-28
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth8224812-48
20Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds8224914-58
21Luton TownLuton8224813-58
22Queens Park RangersQPR8143914-57
23Portsmouth9054920-115
24Cardiff CityCardiff8116317-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!