A person involved in the football riots in Nice in September 2022 has been found guilty by the Cologne district court of serious breach of the peace and multiple attempts at dangerous bodily harm.
After a four-hour hearing, the jury sentenced the man to one year’s imprisonment on probation. The probationary period was set at three years, during which the chimney sweep must carry himself unpunished. A probation officer was also assigned to him.
“You should take life with impunity very seriously,” the chairman made clear at the end of the verdict. The defendant had admitted his involvement in the violent clashes at the beginning of the hearing through his defense attorney. The judgment is final.
During the group game of 1. FC Köln against OGC Nice in the Europa Conference League, there were violent clashes between rival fan groups on the fringes of the game in southern France. The encounter could only begin with a delay of around an hour. More than 40 people were injured, including nine police officers.
Bollards thrown at fans and stewards
Video footage introduced as evidence at the trial showed that the shirtless defendant, wearing a yellow scarf, was at the forefront of the violent riots.
He was seen throwing a bottle outside the stadium. Later in the stadium, the 28-year-old also took part in the riot. A video showed, among other things, how he threw a metal bollard in the direction of opposing fans and folders.
Around four weeks after the riots, the police searched the houses and apartments of 16 suspects in Cologne, Hürth, Pulheim and Bergisch Gladbach and executed five arrest warrants.
In January and February, the district courts in Bergisch Gladbach and Cologne sentenced four people involved in the riots to prison terms of between one and two years.