Football club denies fans’ role in assault

LEAGUE of Ireland club Bohemians has distanced its fans from an incident in which an elderly Austrian woman was pushed to the ground and seriously injured in Salzburg on Tuesday.

The incident happened a day ahead of the club’s first-round Europa League qualifier against Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night, which ended 1-1.

The 83-year-old woman from Priem am Chiemsee in Bavaria was allegedly assaulted at around 10pm on Tuesday night by one of three men who were fleeing the police after trying to steal a motorbike.

The woman was brought to hospital in a coma and yesterday the hospital said she remained in very serious condition. After the incident, local police said they believed the three were Bohemians fans and they had a number of suspects they were investigating.

Initially, Bohemians FC condemned the incident, wished the woman well and said it would take the strongest action possible against any of its fans who were found to be involved.

However, last night, a club spokesman said officials had carried out their own investigations, speaking to a number of the 400 Bohemians fans who were in Salzburg for the match.

The source said it was a close-knit group and most were sure it could not have been one of their number.

The spokesman pointed out that on the night there were other English-speaking soccer fans in Salzburg, including supporters of Notts County and Stoke City.

Austrian police have said they only had a description for one of the men, who was wearing a black T-shirt.