Chelsea make formal complaint to Uefa over ‘brutality’ of stewards and police in Barcelona

Chelsea have made a complaint to Uefa about the “brutality” that their supporters were on the receiving end of during the Champions League trip to Barcelona last month after receiving an “unprecedented response” to a request for information.

The club’s 3-0 defeat by Barcelona was not only a disappointment in confirming their Champions League elimination but also in that a number of fans posted on social media about their experience both before and after the match.

READ MORE: How Bakayoko and Chelsea’s midfield mayhem have destroyed their season

A number of videos emerged on Twitter that appeared to show police taking action against Chelsea supporters, while others recalled similar experiences in the past when travelling to the Nou Camp.

After investigating the matter, Chelsea issued a statement on Friday to announce that they have lodged the incident with Uefa, adding that the treatment is “not what we expect” when the club is involved in competitions organised by the European governing body.

“Chelsea Football Club has today submitted a formal complaint to Uefa in relation to several serious incidents involving our supporters prior to and following our Champions League game at Barcelona in March,” a club statement read.

“Following the match, we issued a plea for information to those fans who may have been involved in these incidents. This resulted in an unprecedented response, with a large number of individuals coming forward to complain in relation to poor organisation, lack of crowd control, brutality on the part of stewards and police and exposure to generally unsafe conditions.

“Chelsea FC takes the safety of our fans, both at home and away, extremely seriously, and this not what we expect when attending events organised by Uefa or its member clubs.

“We thank those supporters who shared their experiences to help form our report and will now await a response from Uefa.”