Cardiff pub forced shut after damage by Bristol City fans
A PUB was forced to close for more than five hours after Bristol City fans turned over tables and damaged furniture ahead of Saturday's match against Cardiff.
The chairman of Bristol City Supporters Club & Trust believes the trouble ahead of the match in the Welsh capital was the result of too many fans trying to get into a pub designated for away fans.
South Wales Police were unable to confirm whether any arrests had been made following the disorder.
Hundreds of fans arriving by train for the match were escorted to and from the Cardiff City Stadium by police. There were claims that at least two fans suffered injuries in a crush following the match.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
Stuart Rogers, chairman of the supporters' club and trust, said the escort was one of the biggest he had ever seen, estimating that there were about 700 to 800 fans.
The Great Western pub in Cardiff city centre confirmed that furniture, light fittings and the toilets were damaged in the pub and that a flare or smoke bomb was set off inside the premises.
Mr Rogers, who was in the pub when the trouble erupted, said: "Some of the problems were brought up by far too many fans trying to get into the Great Western and in the end the police having to stem the flow.
"It was very crowded in there and it took a long time to get drinks.
"I think some of the younger fans got a bit boisterous and things started to spill over a bit and got broken.
"At just about the right time the police came in and nipped it in the bud. They cleared the pub and marched everyone to the ground."
Mr Rogers said there was no fighting and the situation was policed effectively.
Of the crush inside the ground, he said: "There were a number of surges forward towards the gates and it looks as if the gates had been opened but only partially and quite a lot of people tried to squeeze through.
"There were supporters and police saying to move back but obviously something not good happened to fans. There was one young lad and a lady on the floor and there was another lady also being attended to as well. I can only speculate as I don't know what happened, but can only guess they got caught in the crush."
He added: "I've seen far worse football matches.
"It doesn't mean I condone it and does not mean it is right. There is a risk this could have escalated beyond what really happened."
It was announced last month that the tie with table-topping Cardiff would not be a "bubble match" – a game considered by police to pose a greater risk of crowd trouble – and that fans could choose their own method of transport.
Matt Court said on Twitter following the incident: "A very small few ruined an otherwise good day out."
Eddie Gershon, spokesman for Wetherspoon, which runs the Great Western, said: "The pub was requested by the police to house the Bristol City supporters.
"The numbers arriving at the venue were much higher than anticipated and as such the decision was made to cease entry.
"A number of fans then forced entry to the venue at which point staff stopped serving.
"A smoke bomb/flare was set off in the pub and damage caused to furniture, light fittings and the toilets through vandalism.
"As a result, the police escorted the fans to the ground sooner than planned."
He said staff were shaken but no-one was hurt in the incident and the pub reopened at 4.30pm.
18 Comments
View all
by BedmoBanjo
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 12:53PM
“@bokbok - there's a shocker - you're a ooligan. Are you wearing tracky bottoms at this moment?”
by ashtongas
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 10:19AM
“baby bokbok arnt you happy cause your going down”
by BS15GASLOYAL
Monday, February 18 2013, 11:43PM
“c.s.f.playing musical chairs ?”
by bokbokk
Monday, February 18 2013, 8:18PM
“Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!!!”
by bokbokk
Monday, February 18 2013, 5:29PM
“A G, A G R, A G R O AGGRO!”
by hobbes24
Monday, February 18 2013, 4:50PM
“The fact that supporters have to be babysat by police in the first place says it all. Why do these "fans" think damaging property and setting off flares in a pub is acceptable behaviour? Disgusting.”
by Vonner
Monday, February 18 2013, 12:25PM
“Regardless of blame everyone knows that for this type of game the usual suspects come out to play - sad old 'hard' men with only a passing interest in the game and hoping for confrontation be it with rival fans or police. They are usually joined by excitable rookie hoolies decked out in their Henry Lloyd and Burberry - worshipping the old guard (though they are normally the first to run a mile when it kicks off). Sadly it is normally the innocent that get hurt - though some of these are a bit slow to see a situation develop and steer clear of it.
As usual the police wanted it all contained in one place so the pub was a powder keg. I'm actually surprised it wasn't worse - you could argue that the police got it right as they were able to keep the rival factions apart by these tactics. So it was just premise damage rather than hearing of a stabbing or two..
EVERY club has a similar setup - some just worse than others.”
by Magger1
Monday, February 18 2013, 12:18PM
“A upside down chair,a table gave way because of some idiot dancing on it,this gathered together for picture to make it look bad,what a load of rubbish,someone let a smoke flare off and a group of young lads singing,nobody can distinguish who let the smoke flare off,so even the lads who picked it up can not be arrested ,for what,so these threads are going no where.This was nowhere near as bad as reported .”
by foxxy_tom
Monday, February 18 2013, 11:03AM
“"Turned over tables" you say?
Blimey, the UN and NATO will have a job sorting out this one, never mind the North Korean missle crisis!
I suggest we withdraw all UK and US troops from Afghanistan immediately to patrol the border between Wales and England - surely if some City fans have "turned over tables" this is the only appropriate course of action?”
by piledriver
Monday, February 18 2013, 11:00AM
“So, reading the facts after the disgraceful, sensationalist nonsense presented by this site.
No one was arrested or injured at the pub.
Two innocent people were injured after the match.
It wasn't a bubble match but the fans arriving at the station were not allowed to go anywhere but one pub which was to small.
Neither were the fans allowed to walk to the ground
The Escort took 1.5 hours before and two hours after the game to get fans 15 minutes walk away.
"Intelligence" suggested that less fans would come-Why not just get the number of tickets sold by FGW??
At the end of the game, the Police woudn't allow the City Fans to enter the station and wait on a platform and that resulted in a massive crush outside in getting through a narrow gap.
If you treated anyone else like this there would be outrage, not blame.
I'm not suggesting that the City Fans were saints and that there wasn't some pushing and shoving.”