English soccer club Middlesbrough FC has released an official statement in the wake of large-scale violence at the Riverside Stadium. Children as young as 10 were caught up in a mass brawl involving 200 fans in the stadium’s coach parking area after the team’s Championship match against Sheffield United FC.
“Middlesbrough Football Club deplore the behavior of the people involved in the incidents which occurred at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday and will do our utmost to ensure that they are identified and appropriate actions are taken,” read the statement.
“We pride ourselves on being a family club, and there is absolutely no place for the incidents of violence and threatening behavior that occurred both inside the stadium and also in the coach and car park areas after [the] game. We also condemn the wanton vandalism and destruction of club property that occurred in the concourse area within the away enclosure.
“As a club we adopt a zero tolerance toward the type of behavior that was witnessed on Saturday and we will be working closely with Cleveland Police and Sheffield United officials, using the extensive CCTV footage we have available, to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.
“We are also meeting with a number of supporters, who were unwittingly caught up in the disturbances outside, and we shall be seeking their views on the scenes that occurred.”
August 16, 2017
