Police forces joining forces in hunt for brawling Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle fans
Local officers have joined forces with their British Transport Police counterparts to bring to justice fans who brawled after Portsmouth’s defeat to bitter rivals Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
Fighting broke out at Plymouth railway station in the aftermath of Pompey’s 3-1 defeat to their rivals at Home Park in the ‘dockyard derby’ – a match that has seen violence erupt on previous occasion between fans.
Video footage on social media showed a mass brawl with fans hitting and shouting abuse at each other on a stairwell at the train station on the edge of the city. Younger males were seemingly involved while an older man appeared to have suffered cuts to his head during the violent flashpoint.
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The violent scenes are being jointly investigated by both Hampshire police and British Transport Police – who are leading the probe. A Hampshire police spokesman said: ‘We are working with British Transport Police on this one, who are leading the enquiries, and supporting them with this. The vast majority of Portsmouth fans attend games, home and away, without any incident and we will continue to work closely with the club to ensure all those going to games can do so safely.’
Some fans reacted to the incident with disappointment on social media, labelling it as ‘tribalistic’ and others voicing concerns about the impact this sort of thing would have on other supporters.
In 2018, eight Pompey fans were jailed after dozens of supporters ambushed Plymouth fans in the city centre.
The British Transport Police have been contacted by The News for comment.