The Frankfurt police have published further details about the origins and course of the altercations with Eintracht Frankfurt fans. The club also commented on Monday evening.
The special commission set up by the Frankfurt police released the first investigation results late on Sunday evening the serious riots before the game between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart announced. The evaluation of video material and witness interviews confirmed the course of events described on Sunday, the statement said.
Fans attack folders, then the situation escalates
Accordingly, a plainclothes steward who denied a person without a ticket access to Block 40 and held him down was attacked and hit in the face by Eintracht fans. In the course of the confrontation, the stadium security service alerted the police, who were immediately attacked by “at least 300 to 400 people from Frankfurt’s risk scene – many of whom were masked” when they arrived in front of the fan curve.
The Frankfurt supporters massively attacked the officers, who were clearly outnumbered, with punches and kicks and threw bottles, flagpoles, iron bars and iron bars at them. In addition, the emergency services are said to have been sprayed with foam from fire extinguishers.
Police revise report on clash between fan groups
The police, who called in additional emergency services, defended themselves with “simple physical violence, pepper spray and batons.” The situation only calmed down after around 30 minutes and after the retreat from the area in front of the fan curve.
The report initially spread by the police via
More than 100 injured
The balance of the riots: 59 injured law enforcement officers, 57 injured police officers. According to the statement, the injuries range from hematomas, sprains, bruises, eye and respiratory irritation, to a torn tendon and at least one fracture. Eight officers were treated in hospital.
There is currently no reliable information about injured fans. Eintracht fan representatives spoke of almost 100 injuries on Sunday, including children. They are asked to report to the police. Witnesses are also still being sought.
Criticism from fan representatives
The question of whether the massive use of irritant gas was proportionate still remains. The Frankfurt fan aid organization “The 13th Man” contradicted the police’s statements on Sunday. The police massively invaded the area in front of the block and used batons and gas, “without taking into account the casualties among normal fans, women and children,” it said in a statement. The fan representatives condemned the operation as an “escalation of violence by the police”.
Ina Kobuschinski from the Frankfurt fan club association chose similar words, and in an interview with the hr also criticized the effort as disproportionate. “It can’t be that there are so many injured because of such an inflated operation. Two people were unconscious.” The fan representative suspects that the security forces want to demonstrate strength before the upcoming European Championships in Germany and gain control over the fan curves. “The police are taking a tougher approach nationwide.”
Eintracht statement: Condemns violence, but also doubts about police representations
On Monday evening, Eintracht Frankfurt finally made a statement about the situation. The association strongly condemned the attacks on the security staff and the police. Board member Philipp Reschke also added: “A number of uninvolved injured people, whose descriptions have reached Eintracht Frankfurt since the incidents on Saturday evening, require a detailed and self-critical analysis of the entire operation and the resources used.”
Eintracht also expressed doubts – to put it mildly – about the police’s claim that the game had long been classified as a risky game. “Not only Eintracht Frankfurt but also the police had assessed the game against VfB Stuttgart in advance as a so-called ‘yellow’ game, i.e. a game under observation,” writes the club. An upgrading by the police was never communicated to Eintracht, at least.
“We will carefully evaluate the findings and eyewitness reports that reach us and make an appropriate classification,” promised Reschke. The incidents cannot be excused and will continue to concern the club for a long time to deal with them and the consequences.
