A group of British fans were targeted by about 20 masked men in the Ukrainian capital’s centre and were forced to protect themselves with tables and chairs.
Two people were detained by police and a bloodied Briton was handcuffed as he tried to leave the scene.
Thousands of supporters descended on Kiev for tomorrow’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Groups of fans wandered around the central areas of the city singing and enjoying themselves but the violence at Rooster restaurant early in the evening increased tensions.
The Liverpool supporters were enjoying a drink at about 8.30pm when men wearing masks and bandanas with skull and crossbones designs entered the bar and began assaulting customers. A number of travelling fans sustained cuts to the head.
Police arrived quickly but supporters claimed they were detained at the scene afterwards. One man was manhandled by local officers and handcuffed after attempting to escape the area.
“We were having dinner, completely minding our own business,” Jason Frost, 50, from Nuneaton, said. “We’ve been here for four hours and then we’re getting attacked. They came at us like a pack of dogs. It just kept coming. It was terrifying. I didn’t come here for this. I came to watch the football.”
The Anfield club received 16,500 tickets for the match but upwards of 30,000 Liverpool fans are expected to arrive in Kiev in the next 24 hours.
There have been complaints about the suitability of the venue and the lack of flights and hotel rooms in the city. About 900 supporters — many of them ticket-holders — were shocked yesterday when three fully-booked flights that cost £950 per person were cancelled.
The company, World Choice Sports from Widnes, could not get a licence to land in Ukraine. Disappointed passengers were advised to find their own routes to the match.
