IRISH football fans claim to have been attacked by Portuguese police ahead of Friday’s European Championship qualifier with Gibraltar in the Algarve
Around 3,000 fans are believed to have travelled to Portugal with the majority staying in Albufeira, where the alleged attacks took place, which by all accounts were unprovoked.
The FAI have confirmed that 2,600 tickets were bought by away supporters, meaning ticketless fans are few and far between, with the reason for the supposed brute force unclear as yet.
One Galway United supporter revealed the shocking scenes he witnessed, saying innocent bystanders were attacked while a female was clubbed for merely using her phone.
Have honestly never seen anything like I saw tonight. Absolutely battering innocent bystanders. These guys are less than nothing IMO
— GalwayGambler (@GalwayGambler) September 3, 2015
Albufeira police are the worst I've ever seen. clubbing innocent girls in the face for sending texts because they thought they were videos
— GalwayGambler (@GalwayGambler) September 3, 2015
Another fan, Adam Campbell, claims to have been struck with a baton whilst waiting for a taxi.
Im not sure waiting for a taxi warrants getting hit with a baton!! Portuguese police are scum #COYBIG #Ybig
— Adam Campbell (@AdamCampbell05) September 3, 2015
Another, named James, told the Irish Independent that he sustained a bloodied ear after being struck with a baton, while he witnessed others who received the wrath of the Portuguese police.
He said: “They were grabbing women and throwing them, they started pushing everyone. I saw one lad who was pushed and he fell and he just missed a pole. Then all went quiet for about 10 minutes.
“I was separated from my friends and a few other Irish looked after me. I could see two or three lads lying on the path.
“We were literally just standing there talking. We didn’t even have our voices left to sing before the police attacked. It was extremely heavy handed stuff.”
Ireland take on Gibraltar, who have a limited support following, with a 7.45pm kick-off in Estadio Algarve, Faro, as they look to revitalise their fading hopes of qualifying from Group D.
