‘Kyiv knife mob will kill’, predicts England fan hurt in attack

A football fan injured in an attack in Kyiv has said he was told it was a planned raid and fears someone will get killed.

David Stone, 22, from Stanmore, north-west London, was one of the three people injured in the attack, who have now left hospital.

British police have urged England fans in Ukraine not to seek revenge for the attack in which around 30 hooded Ukrainians armed with knives are said to have set upon the supporters in a central area of the capital.

Around 2,000 England fans are expected to attend tonight’s World Cup qualifying game in Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium.

A win for England would move them to within touching distance of a place in next summer’s finals in Brazil.

Mr Stone, a history graduate, told the Sun: ‘I woke in hospital. I don’t even know how many stitches I had.

‘I’ve been told these guys had planned the raid on the bar to steal our England flags.

Kyiv knife mob will kill, says injured England fan
An injured English soccer fan lying on a stretcher in central Kyiv (Picture: Reuters)

‘There were getaway cars. These brutes could soon be up on a murder charge. Someone is going to get killed.’

Pictures of blood-spattered pavements quickly circulated on social media sites after the incident.

Witness Daniel Gover told the Daily Mirror it was a ‘random, unprovoked attack’, while Anastasiya Nikolaeva told the Sun that British fans were singing songs before a ‘crowd with flares’ approached them and began ‘smashing bottles and breaking off branches of nearby trees’.

England football fans attacked by mob with knives in Kyiv prior to World Cup qualifier against Ukraine
Three fans were taken to hospital after the incident (Picture: AP)

‘One victim was lying on the ground,’ she said.

Police had reported a relaxed atmosphere in the city where there were no problems last year, despite a much larger number of supporters for two games during Euro 2012.

Rachel Barber, head of the UK police delegation in the Ukraine, said of Sunday’s incident: ‘We are aware of what happened and we will be going round most of the major bars, including this particular one, to make sure there are no problems.

‘We would urge supporters to enjoy themselves but to do so without upsetting anybody.

‘I am pleased to say that currently the atmosphere in the town is good, so in that sense what happened last night was out of the blue.’