Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt fans clashed ahead of Europa League final

Supporters of Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt were involved in clashes in Seville ahead of the Europa League final.

Footage emerged on social media of the violence in the Spanish city as supporters were seen charging, exchanging blows with one another and throwing objects, including chairs.

One video shared on Twitter showed blood on the pavements and road.

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Huge numbers of both sets of fans descended on the Andalusian capital for the final, with an estimated 100,00 Rangers supporters and 50,000 backing Eintracht.

The sheer volume of supporters raised alarm bells for the authorities ahead of the match, with Spain’s General Commissioner for Citizen Security speaking of his concern regarding such large numbers.

Juan Carlos Castro said: “It’s too many people with too much alcohol, the majority without tickets for the game and lots of construction sites around the city, a recipe that could lead to serious problems.”

While five Frankfurt fans were arrested for incidents in the city, there did not appear to be the same level of pre-match carnage that marred Rangers’ last European final back in 2008, when the Ibrox club were defeated 2-0 by Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester.

It appeared that Rangers fans make up around two thirds of the crowd at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, with tens of thousands housed in the Estadio de la Cartuja in a different part of the city to watch the match on a big screen.

The Spanish authorities were on the highest alert on Wednesday night for any incidents in the wake of the full-time whistle.

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