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CHELSEA fans want Uefa action over the ‘appalling’ treatment from Polish police ahead of May’s Conference League final.

Just hours before kickoff on May 28, ugly scenes unfolded mainly near the fan zone in Wroclaw – where the final was held – with riot police forced to defuse the violence.

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The fighting spilt over when fans started kicking and throwing flares into each other’s camps, chairs were flying through the air, and fans squared up to each other before police, some armed with guns, came to split them up.

​However, AWAY from that drama, according to the Football Supporters Association, ten Chelsea fans were wrongfully arrested and detained without any access to legal representation or allowed contact with relatives for 24 hours.

It’s claimed that these fans were not at all involved with the disorder elsewhere in Wrocław’s historic square.

Those involved allegedly had their hands cable-tied by police wearing masks, and held in vans with no ventilation, food or water for hours, before being taken to a police station.

There, they claim to have been mocked, strip-searched, and coerced into signing documents without the benefit of any translation or legal explanation.

One of the detainees said, “One individual suffered a panic attack and was nearly unconscious before officers permitted minimal bathroom access.

“When we arrived at the station, detainees were mocked by officers, denied phone calls, and strip-searched in front of mixed-gender officers.”

Another fan said: “We were presented with documents written entirely in Polish and were coerced into signing them without the benefit of any translation or legal explanation whatsoever.

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“Although I was presented with my rights in English, I was barely given any time to read them before being taken to my cell. When I asked if I could take the document with me to read it properly, my request was denied, and this form remained unsigned.”

The fans involved were then supposedly released over 24 HOURS after the initial upset, missing the entirety of their team’s European final in which Chelsea beat Real Betis 4-1, while Polish police claim the fans were ‘misidentified’ and released as ‘witnesses’ without apology.

While the group are pursuing legal advice and hoping to receive compensation for how they were treated, they have been backed by the Chelsea Supporters Trust and called on Chelsea and UEFA to look into the incident further.

The fans involved said: “We ask that Chelsea treat these matters with the seriousness they deserve and stand firmly against the injustice committed against innocent supporters.

“We hope Chelsea FC will support its fans and take appropriate steps to defend those who did nothing wrong.

“The treatment that some Chelsea supporters received from the Polish authorities in Wroclaw before the Conference League Final in May was utterly appalling.

“The treatment of these supporters was unacceptable, and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust will continue to assist and support those supporters in their ongoing dispute with all authorities involved.”

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An estimated 70,000 fans arrived in the city earlier in the week with many drinking and eating in close proximity to rival supporters.

A statement from Lower Silesian Police in Wrocław said 28 people had been arrested on Wednesday over the violent scenes.

They said at the time: “After 5pm on the Wrocław Market Square, in connection with the previous negative behaviour of fans and the clash of several hundred people from both teams, arrests of fans involved in this incident are ongoing.

“The police quickly took action and restored the violated legal order, and now they continue to act so that others can safely participate in this great celebration of sports.

“At this moment, we can confirm the arrest of 28 participants in the incident.

“No one will escape legal responsibility and the police will react decisively and appropriately to the situation.”

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Another fan also claimed he missed the game entirely, and left with no money after his encounter with Polish police and left figuring out a way to return home, having been jailed for FIVE days.

He said: “I have just been released from Polish jail. Just found out that Chelsea won the Conference League.

“Polish police have sucked me for all my money. I’ve been in there for four days, five days, over a petty little fight with these Betis fans.

“I’m in Wroclaw, no money, just my backpack and the stuff that I bought with me apart from the money that I had.

“I don’t really know how I’m getting home to be honest. At least Chelsea won the f*****g Conference League, as I’ve just found out.”

SunSport has contacted the Polish Police for comment…

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Ukraine looks set to receive a fleet of new-production 4×4 Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (MSFV) light armored vehicles from the United States. The MSFV is a variation of the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) armored car that offers additional protection for its occupants from explosive blasts and other improvements, and was originally developed specifically for the now-defunct Afghan National Army (ANA).

The U.S. Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal recently announced its intention to award a three-year sole-source contract to Textron for the production of 65, as well as a year’s worth of spare parts, with funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). Established before Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022, USAI is a security assistance mechanism intended to help acquire weapons and other equipment, along with training and other support services, on Ukraine’s behalf. The Ukrainian armed forces have already received hundreds of standard M1117s, also known as Guardians, taken from U.S. Army stocks via what is known as Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA).

Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal had put out another notice in July “seeking a source capable of producing a modified M1117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV), referred to as the Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (MSFV), which was last produced in the 2019 timeframe.” The notice had said “the United States Government (USG) anticipates ordering 65 each with plans for complete production and delivery within three years,” but did not mention Ukraine.

Textron Marine & Land Systems, formed from a merger of Cadillac Gage and Textron Marine, originally developed the M1117 in the 1990s for the U.S. Army. The ASV design is reminiscent, at least externally, of Cadillac Gage’s V-100/V-150/V-200 Commando series of armored cars, and is currently branded as part of the Commando family. The baseline M1117 has a gross weight of close to 30,000 pounds and can reach a top speed of up to 63 miles per hour. It features a turret armed with a .50 caliber M2 machine gun and a 40mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher.

A number of additional variants of the M1117 were subsequently developed for the U.S. Army and other customers, including the M1200 Armored Knight for use by forward observer teams and an armored personnel carrier version with a revised interior configuration capable of accommodating eight personnel in addition to the crew of three. The further improved MSFV family, again specifically developed for the ANA, was unveiled in the early 2010s.

“The MSFV platform (originally known as the Medium Armored Security Vehicle) differs from the M1117 in that it has been configured with enhanced survivability capability, giving it improved blast protection,” according to a 2014 report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. “The MSFV also has an extended hull design that provides increased interior space and allows for additional seating configuration.”

The ANA subsequently received three different MSFV variants, one with the same turret as the M1117, one with an open-topped turret typically armed with a single .50 caliber machine gun, and one configured as a light armored ambulance. Plans to supply the ANA with a heavier fire support version with a turret armed with a 90mm gun failed to materialize.

A significant number of the MSFVs that were delivered fell into the hands of the Taliban when they retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.

#Afghanistan 🇦🇫: #Taliban recently repaired large quantity of weapons and vehicles left by Afghan National Army and #USA / #NATO Forces.

T-62 tanks, International M1224 MaxxPro armored vehicles, M1117 armored vehicles, SPG-9M / B-10 recoilless rifles, M249 machine guns, M16A2… pic.twitter.com/JviL9iRTLm

— War Noir (@war_noir) June 9, 2024

What versions of the MSFV family Ukraine might now be in line to receive aren’t clear, but the Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal’s most recent notice says “Capability of mounting the MK-19 Grenade Machine Gun and M-2 .50 caliber machine gun concurrently (fired from inside the turret), and also the M2, M240, and M249 machine guns interchangeably (fired from outside the turret)” are key requirements.

For the Ukrainian armed forces, MSFVs could offer useful additional mobile firepower in a package with at least a degree of armor protection. Even just being able to shield occupants from artillery shrapnel and small arms fire could be valuable. Light armored ambulances would also be a boon for evacuating casualties under fire.

As noted, the MSFV design also specifically incorporated survivability enhancements over the original M1117 to provide improved protection against explosive blasts, including from mines and improvised explosive devices. Mines are a particularly serious threat to both sides of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

At the same time, Ukrainian battlefields are home to a myriad of other threats, especially highly maneuverable first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones. Pictures have previously emerged, as seen below, showing a Ukrainian M1117 covered in add-on armored screens to protect against uncrewed aerial systems. In an unmodified form, MSFV variants with open-topped turrets would have additional vulnerability to threats from above.

Though far less protected than tanks and other heavier armored vehicles, MSFVs are smaller and lighter, which could offer mobility advantages in certain contexts, as well as being simpler to operate and maintain. Textron restarting production of the MSFV family could be helpful to Ukraine just by creating an additional pipeline for more armored vehicles, as well.

It’s also interesting to note here that this isn’t the first time Ukraine has benefited indirectly from past U.S. assistance to the defunct armed forces of Afghanistan. Back in 2022, the Ukrainian military received a number of Russian-made Mi-17 Hip helicopters that American authorities had previously supplied to the Afghan Air Force.

US-donated Ukrainian Mi-17V-5 operations from a forward airstrip.

Initially purchased by the US from Russia for service in Afghanistan, 16 were outside of the country when the government fell in 2021, and 5 were undergoing maintenance in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/53dviEtqTa

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 2, 2023

Shahed kamikaze drone chased and intercepted by Mi-17 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine which was transferred by the United States. The helicopters were previously designated for the Air Force of Afghanistan, the desert camouflage remains on the helicopter as a reminder of this. https://t.co/ZG4IK1CM5U pic.twitter.com/ACdfGfcf3g

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) February 3, 2025

When the MSFV contract might be finalized and when the first new-production vehicles might be delivered remains to be seen, but the Afghan-specific version of the M1117 now looks headed for a second life in Ukraine.

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