Female police officer suffers serious head injury amidst Leeds promotion celebrations
Sports
By
Mirror
| Jul 20, 2020
A female police officer has suffered a serious head injury after bottles were thrown in chaotic scenes in Leeds city centre following the Whites' promotion to the Premier League.
Marcelo Bielsa's side were confirmed as champions of the Championship after Stoke beat Brentford on Saturday.
That followed their promotion being rubber-stamped on Friday night when West Brom lost at Huddersfield.
And United put the cherry on top by beating Derby at Pride Park on Sunday, sparking scenes of jubilation in Leeds.
But some of the celebrations turned sour as bottles were thrown among the 7,000 revellers in Millennium Square.
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Nine arrests were made and 15 members of the public were injured, as well as a serious head injury to a female officer.
West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said: "On Sunday (19 July), 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."
Former Leeds skipper Dominic Matteo says the club's promotion back to the promised land after 16 years away has finally given him closure.
“There’s no-on happier than me that Leeds are back because I think of that relegation all the time, there’s no getting away from it for me,” he told Mirror Sport.
“I don’t know how other players can put something like that behind them. It’s too important. When you’ve got a love for a club, you can’t just turn it off.
“It felt horrible, I didn’t like it and I wanted to keep Leeds in the Premier League so much.
“I have always felt this pain because I care for the club so much.
“I get Leeds United, I get clubs I played for. Leeds were one of the great teams of the 1960s and 70s and 90s, when they last won the league.
“We had glimpses of it when I played when we got to the Champions League semi-finals.
“They deserve to be in the Premier League and I’m just so relieved and happy they are back there.”