POLICE have revealed that Paris Saint-Germain supporters fought amongst themselves during Wednesday's Uefa Cup match against Manchester City at Eastlands. One officer suffered a minor injury when trouble broke out during the game, which finished in a 0-0 draw.
There was also an incident following the match in the city centre in which a French fan was arrested and then released. Match commander, Superintendent Steve Nibloe of Greater Manchester Police, said: "During and after the game there were some minor
disturbances which chiefly involved PSG supporters fighting among themselves.
"At half-time a small number of French supporters fought among themselves in the stadium concourse. During this disturbance an officer was struck on the back with a metal bin thrown by a supporter. He suffered a minor injury and received first aid at the stadium. Order was rapidly restored and the match remained incident-free.
"After the game there was another small disturbance in the city centre in which a French fan was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace. He was later released."
Meanwhile, City have issued a red card to agents and intermediaries aiming to cash in on their vast new wealth in the January transfer window. Manager Mark Hughes insists they will only deal directly with the clubs involved when they come to do business and no-one else. The Welshman is adamant Eastlands will not become a playground for those aiming to get rich quick.
Because of the financial muscle of owners the Abu Dhabi United Group, City have been continually linked with multi-million pound deals for players around the globe. Hughes, however, has a clear statement for those intent on what he sees as mischief-making. He said: "There is a lot of speculation about all manner of players. The problem we have is there a lot of people out there who are trying to jump into the middle of deals.
"They are making assumptions on players we are supposedly interested in. They are trying to cover all avenues. If we are going into the market we will deal with the clubs directly. We do not need intermediaries trying to make a profit out of any business we are going to do.
"We can do any business we like on our own, thank you very much. That's our message."
LAST NIGHT
UEFA Cup
Group E: Heerenveen L, Braga L; Wolfsburg L, Portsmouth L. Group F: Aston Villa L, MSK Zilina L; Slavia Prague L, Hamburg L. Group G: FC Copenhagen L, Rosenborg L; Valencia L, Club Brugge L. Group H: AS Nancy L, CSKA Moscow L; Lech Poznan L, Deportivo La Coruna L.
The full article contains 449 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
