Special Forces Deployed After Football Fans Clash

One man was arrested after violent clashes involving Brøndby supporters following Víkingur’s 3-0 win over the Danish side in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday night, reports RÚV. Iceland’s National Commissioner’s Special Operations Unit was called in to assist police at the height of the unrest.

Trouble began when Danish fans confronted Víkingur supporters before security intervened. After the final whistle, the visiting fans clashed with police escorting them from the stadium, and further disturbances broke out at the Ölver restaurant in Glæsibær. Police had not increased security ahead of the game.

“It was our assessment before the match that there wasn’t a high risk of anything going wrong. We had no information suggesting the spectators would act this way, so we had no special preparedness for this game,” Unnar Már Ástþórsson, chief inspector with the Capital Area Police, told RÚV.

No serious injuries were reported, though several people sustained minor ones. The arrested man was released after questioning and is expected to face a fine.

According to Unnar, violence at football matches in Iceland is rare. “Icelandic spectators have, for the most part, been exemplary. There have occasionally been incidents involving foreign fans, but they are very few,” he said.