As the celebrations of Leeds United's promotion subside, West Yorkshire Police confirmed a female officer sustained 'serious' head injuries from a thrown bottle.
The Whites' promotion was confirmed on Friday night, ending a 16-year wait for a Premier League return.
While the celebrations were generally good-natured, temporary Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan confirmed the injury to the officer.
“On Sunday, almost 7,000 people gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds. Whilst the vast majority of fans were enjoying themselves and celebrating, there were a small minority of people who began to throw bottles at police officers.
“A female officer suffered a serious head injury and was taken to hospital for treatment, a number of other officers suffered minor injuries and a further 15 members of the public were injured.”
Leeds United
Khan confirmed that West Yorkshire Police were sent to the Millennium Square area at noon after crowds began to gather.
“The safety of fans and the wider public is our primary concern. Violence towards police officers will not be tolerated and we deployed an appropriate police response to ensure that the festivities concluded safely.
It is important to remind the public that we must not lose sight of the fact that Covid-19 is still with us and that large gatherings are still not permitted.”
Social distancing measures are still in place to combat the novel coronavirus, but the scenes in Leeds mirror what happened in Liverpool a fortnight ago.
Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani asked Whites' fans to respect the guidelines so that celebrations can be had without increasing transmission rates.
“So I really invite them to be more cautious than they’ve shown in the last 24 hours. I think what I’ve seen is not responsible at all.”
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