Dramatic scenes unfolded today as a swarm of football fans took over Cardiff city centre, with a Wetherspoons pub reportedly smashed up and one person arrested for public disorder.
Bristol City fans flocked to the Welsh capital for their team’s Championship match against Cardiff City, which ended 1-1.
But outside Cardiff City Stadium, there was reportedly “chaos” on the streets, as huge crowds of fans were seen chanting crude football chants at their rivals – and allegedly missiles were even thrown at the Prince of Wales pub, smashing the windows.
Footage showed police on horseback arriving at the scene, trying to shepherd the crowds away from the pub, and keep fans of the two teams separate.
And a separate clip, filmed from a bus, around 20 police officers were seen running across a road at the edge of another large group of people, in a bid to control the crowds.
Matt Thomas was on a bus to Pentyrch with his young son when what he described as a “swarm” of football fans went past.
He told WalesOnline: “I would say there were around 100 of them, and police with truncheons were trying to guide them down Westgate Street. One of them hit the door and the glass smashed. We were quite shaken up.”
A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “Officers were very busy ensuring supporters get to the stadium as safely as possible. A derby fixture such as this always comes with a highly charged atmosphere.
“Unfortunately, there will always a be a minority that will seek to engage in disorder, but officers are responding quickly to stop any such incidents. A policing operation is in place to ensure both sets of supporters can leave the stadium safely following the match.”
Later, the spokesman confirmed: “A man has been arrested for a public order offence in connection with this disorder.”
Meanwhile, Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas thanked the police, and said there are “no ongoing issues” in the city centre.
He said: “Whilst it’s disappointing to see the behaviour of a handful of idiots, there are no ongoing issues in Cardiff city centre, and no reason to stay away. I’m told the incidents occurred around 10.30am – grateful to South Wales Police for dealing with it swiftly.”
For all live updates from the “riots” in Cardiff, visit our live blog here. And for all the action from the match itself, visit here.