Young Boys president Marcel Brülhart faces intense criticism after fans’ disruptive behavior during a European match against Aston Villa, a situation described as a betrayal of the host club’s trust.
Young Boys President Marcel Brülhart has expressed his profound disappointment following fan disorder during the club’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening, stating that the trust shown by the host club was “broken.”
According to a report from Sport Witness, the incident occurred as Villa’s Donyell Malen scored twice, prompting Young Boys supporters to “throw anything they could find towards the pitch” while the players celebrated. Even Young Boys’ own players were pelted when they attempted to restore calm.
Club captain Loris Benito attempted to shift some blame onto the match management, claiming the referee issued a severe warning.
Benito stated: “The referee told me we risked the game being suspended or even abandoned if anything else happened on the pitch. The police officers had their backs to the pitch.
They didn’t see me coming and trying to talk to the fans. From then on, it just escalated. The police also acted incorrectly. Their job is to de-escalate, not escalate.”
Villa had situated the away support close to the pitch in a “great gesture of hospitality and a show of trust,” which was subsequently abused.
President Brülhart, who spoke to Swiss newspaper Blick via messaging, conveyed the organization’s frustration:
“The disappointment is immense, throughout the entire organisation. I was traveling and could only watch part of the first half on my phone. According to my current information, some things are inexcusable, and other things were simply unfortunate.”
He added, “Yes, but the great disappointment concerns a small group. The entire fan culture is not bad because of a few violent individuals.”