Three Englishmen aged between 19 and 23 were hospitalized for head and arm injuries on the evening of Sept. 8 after a fight broke out involving nearly 40 English nationals and 21 Ukrainians in the outdoor terrace of Chateau cafe on Khreshchatyk Street, said the police and an eyewitness.
They were released the same night and refused
to give official statements to the police, saying that they had no charges to
bring against anyone. Police said they were in town for the Sept. 10 World Cup
qualifier between England and Ukraine.
Oleksiy Kurka, British embassy spokesperson,
said that the embassy is aware of the incident and “provided some consular
support for those who asked for it,” without providing additional information.
Police said that at approximately 9 p.m., six
young locals approached the cafe “where 40 English fans were sitting.”
Meanwhile, eyewitness Tim White of Manchester, England, told the Kyiv Post that
there were “actually 100 Englishmen singing football songs and drinking beer.”
A verbal argument ensued between the two
groups, police said, which escalated into a fight “during which 15 additional
people joined the Ukrainian side,” adding that it all lasted no more than two minutes.
As a result three Englishmen aged 19, 22 and 23
were hospitalized. Kyiv police spokesperson Ihor Mykhalko told the Kyiv Post
that no Ukrainian involved in the fight sought medical treatment, adding that
the “active ones fled the scene before the police arrived.”
Mykhalko denied that “any sharp objects were
used during the brawl.” When asked to explain the blood on the sidewalk, he
said, “what do you expect to happen when 40 Englishmen fight 20 (outnumbered)
Ukrainians.”
White told the Kyiv Post that “before the
fight, smoke bombs were detonated and after the fight the English fans said
that several English flags were stolen that were hanging outside the cafe that
the fans had brought with them.”
White said “it all happened so quickly.”
White, the eye-witness, also didn’t confirm
that a sharp object was employed in the fight but said he saw blood spots on
the sidewalk and pieces of broken glass.
Police said that a criminal case has been
opened for hooliganism.
Approximately 2,000 English fans are expected
to attend the Sept. 10 qualifier at Olympic Stadium.
Kyiv Post staff writer
Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]. Kyiv Post editor Mark
Rachkevych contributed to this article.