Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane apologised for fan behaviour after Aston Villa’s Donyell Malen was hit by a missile during their 2-1 Europa League victory.
Aston Villa’s Europa League match against BSC Young Boys was marred by crowd trouble in the away end after goalscorer Donyell Malen was hit by a missile, according to a report from The Independent.
Malen scored both goals in the 2-1 win but was left bleeding after he was struck on the top of his head by a cup thrown from the away end when he celebrated his first goal in front of the Young Boys supporters.
The match was halted for more than five minutes after Malen’s second goal as the Swiss fans clashed with police, with officers in riot gear deployed later in the second half.
Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane apologized for the behaviour but claimed his fans were “provoked” by the striker. Seoane said:
“It’s normal when you score, you want to be with your team-mates… Maybe it was a small provocation [by Malen], I don’t know. Maybe our fans took it this way. But our fans should not react so heavily.”
The manager concluded: “We apologise, I don’t feel good. It’s not how we want to act when we are guests somewhere and I think nobody wins and I think everybody loses from this situation.”
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery confirmed Malen was “OK,” adding: “We need respect for both sides. It is not necessary to get a moment like we had today. Respect for both sides.”
The Swiss team has a history of fan trouble, having been hit with several Uefa sanctions in recent years.