Not so ‘nice’! Kazakhstan police seize Chelsea fans’ Borat flag after they tried to show off nation’s public enemy No 1 at game played in sub-zero conditions

Police in Kazakhstan did not see the funny side as Chelsea fans attempted to enter the Almaty Ortalyq Stadium with a Borat inspired flag on Thursday.

The Blues all but confirmed passage to the last 16 of the Conference League with a 3-1 win against Astana in Kazakhstan as Enzo Maresca handed chances to a number of youth players.

Some of the most dedicated Chelsea supporters travelled the 3,500 miles to watch their team secure the victory in minus-12 degree conditions.

And one group even had a special flag made for the occasion.

The TikTok account @cfchomeandaway shared a photo of the banner, which showed Sacha Baron Cohen’s legendary character Borat in in a Chelsea shirt with his thumbs up and holding a number of country’s flags.

‘Following Chelsea home and away,’ it read, adding Borat’s famous catchphrase ‘very nice’.

Police confiscated the flag as the fans made their way into the stadium for the match

And they then posted a video of the Kazakhstani police confiscating and making it clear that it would not be allowed inside the ground. 

Alongside the clip, they wrote: ‘RIP flag, police didn’t see the funny side.’ 

Borat Sagdiyev is a controversial fictional character created and performed by Cohen, depicted as a Kazakh television journalist.

There has been criticism that the portrayal of the people of Kazakhstan in the mocumentary movies is unfair and unjustified. 

The fans will have no doubt enjoyed their evening despite losing the flag as their team claimed a deserved victory. 

Maresca handed full debuts to two academy graduates, Josh Acheampong, 18, and 19-year-old midfielder Samuel Rak-Sakyi.

Fellow teenager Marc Guiu, a relative veteran with six previous Chelsea starts, scored twice inside the opening 18 minutes before Renato Veiga headed in his second for the club before half-time.

Guiu’s opener was a fine solo effort. Collecting the ball almost on the touchline wide on the right, he stood up the full-back Aleksandr Marochkin before powering beyond him into the box and prodding the ball inside the post for his second Chelsea goal.

Some of the more dedicated Blues fans braved the icy cold conditions after a long journey

Astana were already looking hopelessly stretched. Neto was next to take advantage, rocketing around the outside of his defender and crossing low towards Guiu. Seysen dived to get hands on the ball but could only turn it back into danger where it ricocheted between Guiu and Marochkin and over the line.

Carney Chukwuemeka had a shot deflected wide after being given space but Astana did not heed the warning. From the resulting corner, Veiga was given the freedom of Almaty to rise and plant his header past the goalkeeper.

A torrid night for Astana was made more palatable when Tomasov slipped the attentions of Veiga and rifled in the goal of night, his strike sailing up and wide of Filip Jorgensen’s reach and in off the post.