Videos in which supporters of Eintracht Frankfurt are said to have shown the Hitler salute in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille caused great outrage on social networks on Tuesday evening. The Champions League newcomer distanced himself vehemently – and announced that the incidents would be clarified.
Late on Tuesday evening, a few minutes after the 1-0 win in the group game at Olympique Marseille, the Hessians published a detailed statement on their Twitter channel.
“Eintracht Frankfurt stands for tolerance and diversity and shows a clear stance in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination. From a single incident in the run-up to the Champions League game between Olympique Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt, in which a gesture that could be understood as a ‘Hitler salute’ was shown, the club is clearly distancing itself. Anti-Semitic ideas are in stark contradiction to the unequivocal and unshakeable understanding of the values of the club and its roots,” said the Frankfurter.
Eintracht, which has shown a clear edge against right-wing ideas in the past few years, including in the person of its President Peter Fischer, and has also worked through its Nazi period in detail via the club’s own museum, also check the statement of the person who can be seen on the video.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Accused reports to the fan representatives
The SGE supporter “independently” reported to the club’s fan representatives during the game. According to the club, he “emphatically rejects the accusation of anti-Semitic intentions”.
Before the game kicked off, the Eintracht fan department reacted to the videos circulating via Facebook. “We are ashamed of people who come from Frankfurt, wear the eagle on their chest and show the Hitler salute. You don’t belong to this club, to this city, you don’t belong to us,” it said.
Bad scenes around Olympique Marseille vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
The atmosphere in Marseille was extremely tense even before the game. Among other things, German fans were not allowed to wear Frankfurt jerseys or sing Eintracht songs.
Arrests were made in clashes in the hours before kick-off. In the stadium, the fan camps of both teams shot each other with flares. A Frankfurt trailer was seriously injured and is in the hospital.
“It was the feared state of emergency,” said Frankfurt board member Philipp Reschke in shock on Tuesday evening: “We have never experienced such a day in this form and did not think it possible in this way.”