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British football fans in Bilbao for last night’s Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have left a trail of damage, disruption and frayed nerves in their wake, prompting tightened security and widespread closures across the Basque capital.
Local authorities had already imposed sweeping traffic restrictions starting Monday 19 May, in anticipation of the arrival of an estimated 80,000 fans.
Official efforts included road closures and closed metro stations, which halted normal traffic in the city centre and made it nearly impossible to get anywhere except by foot. Separate fan zones helped with safety issues, but tensions still boiled over on Wednesday evening, with several incidents involving intoxicated fans reported across the city.
In the busy Licenciado Poza area, two rubbish bins were set ablaze shortly after kick off, sending a dense black cloud down the street as fans crowded into nearby bars. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control and no injuries were reported, though the origin of the fire is still under investigation.
Moments later, further violence erupted. According to El Correo, police arrested three individuals in connection with street fights between Manchester and Tottenham supporters as they made their way to the San Mamés stadium. One man sustained a minor facial injury, and another was arrested after smashing the window of a shopfront. Riot police were dispatched to break up the altercations.
In one particularly chaotic moment on Calle Egaña, a brawl escalated into fans throwing chairs and tables across a pedestrian street lined with bars. Several businesses, including the local asador, Rallye, were forced to close temporarily as violence spilled into their outdoor terraces.
Bilbao local Ane Fano described the atmosphere as “sad” and “tense.” “Everything is cut off and closed since Tuesday. There are a lot of drunk English people,” she said. “All I’m going to do is go to the gym and [then go] back home. They’re not even letting taxis through.”
The city had already closed off major arteries to vehicles, and municipal workers removed rubbish bins across multiple neighbourhoods to prevent vandalism. San Mamés metro station was shut by 3pm on Wednesday 21 (match day), and parking restrictions blanketed the central districts.
Despite pre-match plans to keep rival fan bases separated, several groups of supporters disregarded official guidance, converging in key intersections where tensions flared. At one such point, in the Indautxu neighbourhood, a group of Manchester United fans allegedly attacked Tottenham supporters, prompting a police and ambulance response.
By Thursday morning, videos were circulating on Spanish social media of various skirmishes from the night before — including scenes of police detaining fans in Simón Bolívar Street and others being dragged from scaffolding they had climbed near the iconic Plaza Nueva in Bilbao’s old town.
It’s not the first time Bilbao has seen disorder from British football supporters. Local authorities have taken increasingly firm measures after previous matches involving Premier League teams turned ugly. Bilbao residents, for the most part, agreed with the measures. “After what happened with Manchester fans last time, this is for the best,” Fano added.
The city’s residents have taken to WhatsApp and social media to share updates and vent frustration at the invasions of their daily routines. Anecdotes about the visitors, such as photos of a Manchester United fan sleeping under newspapers in a plaza after failing to find a hotel room, are also making the rounds online.
With record-breaking numbers of flights arriving at Bilbao’s small airport this week – 195 on Tuesday and 282 scheduled on Wednesday alone – the influx has placed a strain on local services, even before the violence began. UEFA organisers escorted VIP guests, private coaches and reinforced local Bizkaibus units have shuttled supporters nonstop, and taxi drivers have faced queues lining the entire terminal frontage.
Basque Ertzaintza police officers have been deployed alongside Guardia Civil patrols – yet despite the frenzy, operations at the airport and surrounding transport network remained on schedule with no major incidents reported.
The match ended in a 1-0 victory for Tottenham, but the residents of Bilbao are likely to be the ones truly celebrating the end of this final.
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