After the serious riots in the Frankfurt stadium, the conflict between police and fans continued verbally and with mutual blame.
There isn’t much time to come to terms with the bloody riots in the Bundesliga game against VfB Stuttgart with over 200 injured, as the next direct clash will take place on Thursday (9 p.m.) in the Conference League game against PAOK Saloniki.
“We will keep a very close eye on the involvement of those involved in this. Each individual shares responsibility for ensuring that we experience a safe, peaceful and, above all, successful evening of football,” said Frankfurt’s responsible board member Philipp Reschke in a statement from the club.
Police Chief Stefan Müller had previously said at a specially called press conference: “At the same time, we are of course preparing the game next Thursday. We will approach the game with the necessary professionalism, with composure. But we also expect the same from the problem fans.” It is a “Frankfurt problem that has nothing to do with special events at other league locations.” Both the police and public order services as well as the fans reported over 100 injuries after the escalation of violence over the weekend.
Severe fan criticism of police operations
At the press conference, police showed video evidence that was not intended to be filmed or streamed. Müller referred to the serious situation. “The images shocked me very much. Such an excess of violence is unacceptable,” said the president. He referred to barriers and fire extinguishers being thrown by the other side and rejected the severe fan criticism of a “completely excessive” use of police by the fans.
They spoke out again and referred to enormous brutality. “I’ve never experienced anything like that and I’ve been going to football for a long time. I was there live and experienced it. I was shocked. A lot of people were shocked. We’ve never had so much blood and so many problems before.” said Ina Kobuschinski, spokeswoman for the Frankfurt fan support “The 13th Man” of the German Press Agency. “To go in like that was just disproportionate and terrible,” she added.
“Various information” about the cause of the riots
A special police commission with around 50 employees has started the investigation. Among other things, they are investigating assaults on law enforcement officers, as the Frankfurt police announced late on Sunday evening. It was said that the police officers called to help by the security service were massively attacked by Eintracht fans when they arrived on site.
According to Eintracht board member Philipp Reschke, there is “various information and different opinions” about the cause of the riots. In any case, the incidents are “unexcusable and will continue to concern us with the processing and consequences for a long time,” Reschke is quoted as saying in the statement. “We will carefully evaluate the findings and eyewitness reports that reach us and make an appropriate classification.” Meanwhile, police officers should also be investigated, as senior public prosecutor Michael Loer said.
“Next climax in a devastating development”
The umbrella organization of fan aid organizations complained about increasing police attacks against football fans. She is also calling for a ban on pepper spray in German stadiums. “Instead of showing the supposedly hard edge in their own country in preparation for the 2024 European Championship, the police should focus on communication and de-escalation with the fans,” says a press release from the nationwide Fanhilfen association. The “renewed escalation” is “the next climax in a devastating development that has been apparent for months.”
The police are pleading for calm before the clash on Thursday, but they want to continue taking consistent action. “There is no right to a legal vacuum. The Frankfurt police will not allow one,” Müller made clear with a view to the future. The game against Stuttgart (1:2) had been declared a risky game in advance. The police chief added: “The violence is grossly disproportionate to the occasion. Apparently there was an outburst here that may have been building up over several months.” This was also caused by alcohol.
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour, himself a big Eintracht fan, said on Monday via
