A police officer has been hospitalized and children as young as 10 injured in a brawl after a football match in Middlesbrough.

Police said 200 football fans fought in a coach park outside the Riverside Stadium following the Middlesbrough v Sheffield United game on Saturday.

Sheffield United fans were incensed when they saw a seemingly legitimate late equaliser disallowed and eye-witness reports claim that upon thier exit from the stadium, ‘Blades’ fans showered their Boro counterparts with coins before rushing a fence that separated the two sets of fans.

The fracas took place very close to the Riverside’s ‘Generation Red Family Zone’ leading to a number of youngsters being mixed up in the carnage.

Cleveland Police confirmed that five people have been arrested so far, with more expected in the coming days.

Middlesbrough won the game 1-0 thanks to a first half header from Benin international Rudy Gestede.

Celveland Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin said: ‘We will absolutely not tolerate violence of this nature and we will work to identify the offenders and bring them to justice.

‘Unfortunately a small minority of people behave in a manner which puts innocent fans at risk. We will be working closely with Middlesbrough and Sheffield United as part of our investigations.

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences and are in police custody.

Culled from Thr Guardian