Aston Villa's disabled supporters were subjected to distressing conditions during Thursday evening's Europa League fixture against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, with wheelchair users placed in what has been described as a "caged" enclosure.
Approximately 2,000 Villa fans travelled from the West Midlands to Turkey's largest city, where Unai Emery's squad secured a 1-0 victory courtesy of Jadon Sancho's first-half goal.
However, the triumph on the pitch was overshadowed by the treatment of disabled supporters at the Chobani Stadium.
Images shared by the club's official ticketing support account showed the conditions facing away fans, including a yellow metal enclosure surrounding the wheelchair section that sparked immediate outrage across social media platforms.
The posts documenting the away section rapidly went viral, accumulating more than two million views as football supporters worldwide expressed their dismay.
Villa's ticketing support account detailed the challenging environment, stating: "The entire away section is covered with protective netting, which may slightly restrict visibility."
The account further noted: "There is metal fencing at the front of each tier.
Aston Villa fans were left appalled by the conditions in Turkey
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"The wheelchair section is caged. There are Perspex screens separating the visiting supporters section from the home supporters."
Photographs of the stadium's toilet facilities also attracted widespread criticism, with those images similarly reaching over two million views and prompting hundreds of condemnatory responses directed at the Turkish club.
The England and Wales Football Supporters Association responded to the images by directly questioning European football's governing body, posting on X: "Really, is there any need for this @UEFA?"
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A picture of the disabled toilet in Turkey
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A Villa supporter named Jude, who has cerebral palsy and is an amputee, posted footage from inside the yellow enclosure where he sat alongside two other wheelchair users.
Describing the lengthy wait endured before the match, Jude wrote: "We were escorted to the ground at 1pm, in the ground 3.5 hrs before kick off."
Fellow supporters rallied behind him, with one commenting: "Nightmare Jude - respect to you for dealing with this!"
Another fan remarked: "Jesus Christ, it's literally a jail."
A Fenerbahce supporter offered an alternative explanation on Reddit, insisting the structure was separation fencing designed to prevent pitch invasions rather than a cage.
"The wheelchair users enter their stands from the pitchside while the away fans enter from the stands, so this yellow fence is in between to prevent pitchstorms," they wrote.
Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game as Aston Villa overcame Fenerbahce | GETTYThey added: "It's a simple misunderstanding that our rivals are now using to weaponise against us."
However, many remained sceptical, with one Reddit user responding: "Watching football isn't that important to me. Being caged like animals. No thanks."
Villa's ticketing account had also warned of limited toilet provision, with just two female/disabled facilities available across the 50,000-seat venue.
Supporters were detained for over an hour following the final whistle.