Chelsea Submit Official Complaint to UEFA Following Distasteful Treatment of Their Fans in Barcelona

Chelsea have submitted a formal complaint to UEFA following the ugly incidents which unfolded at the Camp Nou after their loss to Barcelona last month.

The Blues were knocked out 4-1 on aggregate by the Spanish side, firstly drawing 1-1 at Stamford Bridge then losing 3-0 away on Barca's home ground.

After the match, video footage emerged, showing Blues fans getting shoved and beaten by stewards, who are also accused of pushing them towards a mob of violent Barca fans who assaulted them while police officers watched on and did nothing.

The club had asked fans to come forward with complaints; and having received a great many, they have now taken their findings to UEFA and will await a response.

A statement on the club's official website reads: "Chelsea Football Club has today submitted a formal complaint to UEFA in relation to several serious incidents involving our supporters prior to and following our Champions League game at Barcelona in March.

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"Following the match, we issued a plea for information to those fans who may have been involved in these incidents. 

"This resulted in an unprecedented response, with a large number of individuals coming forward to complain in relation to poor organisation, lack of crowd control, brutality on the part of stewards and police and exposure to generally unsafe conditions. 

"Chelsea FC takes the safety of our fans, both at home and away, extremely seriously, and this not what we expect when attending events organised by UEFA or its member clubs.

"We thank those supporters who shared their experiences to help form our report and will now await a response from UEFA."