Burnley pre-season friendly against Hannover abandoned as violence erupts in stands

A pre-season friendly game between Burnley and German side Hannover has been abandoned at because of crowd trouble.

Burnley were 1-0 up in the game thanks to a goal from Ben Mee when the police advised the match at Turf Moor be called off.

Images from the game show Hannover fans throwing chairs at police and clashing with opposing fans after supporters surging towards the Cricket Field Stand.

Reports also suggest some of the German fans were carrying knives inside the stadium, but this has not been confirmed.

The Lancashire club confirmed in a message on Twitter: "Today's game has been abandoned on police advice."

The players did not appear for the start of the second half with the decision taken to abandon the match.

Manager Sean Dyche told Clarets Player HD: "We went on police advice. We are still kind of piecing together the details but the police decided to make a decision and we fully support that, from myself and the team and the club.

"The referee came to see me and said he wanted us in the room just to get a feel for our general thoughts.

"I made it clear. It comes down to safety. The police decided to call it off and we support that. We understand that. It's important what the team do, but it's not as important as people coming to a football match. You want safety. You don't want people to get hurt.

"It's a shame what has happened but it's done, as simple as that."

Prior to kick-off, Burnley and Padiham Police posted a message on Facebook which said: "Welcome to Hannover 96 fans in Burnley today. Enjoy a safe visit. These fans create a party atmosphere which you may see in town today."

The match was Burnley's final pre-season friendly before they kick off their Premier League campaign against the holders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 12 August.