Aston Villa’s Donyell Malen was hit with an object after a Young Boys fan threw an object onto the pitch, but manager Gerardo Seoane apologized but claimed he had been provoked.
Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane has apologized for the scene at Villa Park when Aston Villa’s Donyell Malen was sent off with a cut on his head after an object was thrown in his direction.
The Dutchman scored twice in the Premier League in a 2-1 win over Switzerland, moving them into third place in the Europa League. However, the match was marred by problems involving the away supporters, who at one stage clashed with police.
The contest was stopped for five minutes as Young Boys captain Loris Benito tried to calm the fans down. Soane claimed supporters had come down from the stands to speak to the players, but police believed they were trying to jump onto the pitch, which sparked the chaos.
Seoane also apologized after an away fan threw an object at Malen, but suggested Villa players celebrating in front of the Young Boys crowd did not help.
“When you score a goal, it’s normal to want to be with your teammates. Maybe it was a small provocation, I don’t know. The fans might have taken it as a provocation,” he said. “It’s part of football, but the fans shouldn’t react so angry.”
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“The referee asked the captain to calm down the supporters. Some fans came down to talk to the players and the police reacted as if they were going to rush onto the pitch, which was not their intention. It’s unfortunate for everyone who threw things. The result is not good for anyone.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t feel well and it was different from the normal behavior of supporters. Also, as a guest somewhere, in the end no one wins and in this situation everyone loses. In this situation, everyone loses. There are emotions in football. There is a rule that says you can’t provoke anyone. No one is deliberately provoking. I was more happy to score the goal.”
Villa manager Unai Emery has had a sensational run in the Europa League, winning it four times with two different clubs. He remained mum about the situation involving Maren, but insisted that the ugly scenes in the first half were “unnecessary.”
“There has to be respect on both sides. We don’t have to have moments like today. Respect on both sides. I think (Mullen) will be fine.”
After a slow start to the season, Villa have won nine of their last 11 games and are back in contention both domestically and in Europe.
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