Around 500 fans of 1. FC Köln missed the game at VfB Stuttgart. Background is a police check.
According to the “Kölsche Klüngel” fan aid agency, which supports fans of 1. FC Köln in disputes with the police and the judiciary, several buses were escorted off the motorway by the police to carry out checks. The fans refused the measure.
Reason: The “procedure lasting several hours” would have made it impossible to get to the game in time for kick-off on Carnival Saturday (02/18/2023/3:30 p.m.). “That would be utopian been,” said a representative of fan support in an interview with WDR. The police then sent the buses back to Cologne. 1. FC Köln also said at the request of WDR: “Due to the controls, the affected buses would only have arrived at the stadium well after kick-off.” Numerous seats remained empty in the guest area.
After the game, Cologne’s sports director Christian Keller also confirmed the process: “Before the game I received the information that the buses had been checked by the police Police decided they were going to be so late to the game that they were going straight home. I can’t say for sure. But of course it would have been nice if the fans were here.”
Police: experience with Cologne fans decisive for control
The Stuttgart police confirmed to WDR that the check should take place at 2:30 p.m. It was a hazard prevention operation. Six buses from the Cologne area should be checked, this should happen in a parking lot in Waiblingen, around eleven kilometers from the stadium. “A bus was also checked and was unsuspicious, it drove on”said Thomas Ulmer, spokesman for the Stuttgart police.
The control should take place because of experiences with Cologne fans from previous years. “There have been several incidents in recent years”said Ulmer. Therefore, the game was classified as a “risk game” in advance. In May 2022, a lot of pyrotechnics were ignited by the Cologne side. In addition, there were arguments with Stuttgart fans, so Ulmer. At the request of the WDR, the federal police in Baden-Württemberg reported that the arrival of Cologne fans by train was trouble-free.
The fan help left open whether they will have the process checked for its legality. “We still lack information and the basis for the measure.”said a representative from Fan Aid.
Officials with submachine guns at the stadium, carnival make-up prohibited
Further security measures were under discussion among Cologne fans. At carnival, many fans travel to games in disguise. Under the rules of the game, disguises that cover the face were prohibited. Added the sentence: “People with carnival make-up will not be allowed into the stadium.” It is about identifying people in the event of misconduct – many fans find the procedure exaggerated.
A martial appearance by the police was also criticized by fans. There were officers with submachine guns in the guest area. The reason for carrying submachine guns is “the security assessment of the police headquarters in Stuttgart”said police spokesman Ulmer.
Again and again conflicts between fans and police
There are always conflicts between football fans and the police during games. Recently, an incident in Wolfsburg received a lot of attention. Before the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, around 600 to 800 Werder fans were checked at Wolfsburg’s main station. The police argued that they wanted to prevent pyrotechnics from being brought into the stadium.
Both clubs criticized the approach. The Interior Minister of Lower Saxony at the time, Boris Pistorius, later apologized. According to a report he requested, “the necessary prerequisites” were not in place for the so-called control points in Wolfsburg.