THERE was a lot of BLOOD, a lot of SWEAT and a lot of TEARS.
This is the other side of the so-called beautiful game and on Saturday at the Hawthorns in the West Midlands, there was absolute chaos.
These are the scenes many thought had been pushed out of the game a long time ago but on Saturday, an England FA Cup derby clash between West Brom and Wolves was halted after violence broke out in the stands between supporters of both sides.
Some fans stormed the pitch and players being forced to take their children to safety.
Footage shared on social media shows unrest in the crowd as about 50 police officers with batons and stewards try to hold back fans at the Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich.
West Midlands Police confirmed six people had been arrested following the incidents.
‘I’ve seen it bad, but never like this,’ said one lifelong West Bromwich Albion observer as he watched a man being led across the pitch, blood pouring from his face.
As he was removed from the pitch by police, a group of fans appeared to repeatedly chant: “Let him die.”
At one point Albion defender Kyle Bartley was seen bringing his children – a young boy and girl – to safety as the unrest on the stands escalated onto the pitch.
Meanwhile, his teammates anxiously messaged family members.
There were unconfirmed reports players’ families had been spat at.
The unrest was reportedly started by Wolves fans celebrating the goal while they were standing among fans from the home side.
The match always had the potential for violence as it was the first time these rivals have played each other since 2021 and the first time in front of fans since 2012.
The clash had been designated high risk, with security increased and the kick-off scheduled for 11.45am in the hopes this would avoid tensions overflowing between the fans of the West Midlands clubs.
In the 78th minute of the game, as the Wolverhampton Wanderers had just upped their lead to 2-0, violence broke out in the corner of the West Stand and Birmingham Road End.
It was part of the ground which theoretically should have been holding solely home supporters.
There was a lot of pushing and shoving on the ranks, with some fans spilling onto the pitch. – Mailonline