A hooligan scandal overshadowed the handball duel in the European Cup on Saturday between Förthof UHK Krems from Austria and the Serbian representative RK Vojvodina.
What was supposed to be a family-friendly handball festival ended in a scenario that left the Austrian club Förthof UHK Krems in shock.
At the European Cup game against RK Vojvodina, around 50 Serbian supporters who had traveled with them spread fear and terror.
Even before the game, the Serbs are said to have attracted negative attention due to their loud and aggressive behavior in the city on the Danube.
The situation then escalated in the hall, as UHK boss Alexander Hofmann told “mydistrict.at” reported: “It was very loud in the hall. As soon as the game started, the guests spat on our players, in seconds they were masked and made a racket.”
They would have acted with lightning speed, pulling their hoods over their faces and removing their belts. They attacked the Krems audience with their buckles.
Folders and officials who intervened and wanted to end the chaotic scenes were attacked and even injured.
Allegations against RK Vojvodina
Such a situation was “until now unimaginable” for the Austrians. “For the first time I was afraid for my family,” said Hofmann.
The chairman was particularly shocked by the fact that the leaders of RK Vojvodina didn’t say a word about problem fans traveling to Austria. In doing so, they “negligently accepted that professional hooligans would endanger us,” Hofmann accused.
Only the police were able to calm the situation by throwing the hooligans out of the hall and escorting them to the Hungarian border.
“They were full professionals, hooligans”
“I’m still marked by what happened yesterday,” said Hofmann on Sunday.courier“And made it clear: “We are a family club, there is usually nothing like that in handball.”
The Serbian supporters were not normal fans. “They were full professionals, hooligans,” says Hofmann: “The situation was scary. But the emergency services reacted very well and de-escalated. But without the help of the police, everything could have gotten out of hand very quickly, with injuries and mass panic.”
The game continued after an interruption, the UHK narrowly lost 27:29. If the game had had to be stopped, it would have ended 12:10 in Krems’ favour.
Förthof UHK Krems does not play the second leg
The Austrian first division club has meanwhile decided not to take part in the second leg in Serbia.
“After consultation with our coaching team and our players, the board of directors of Förthof UHK Krems decided unanimously today that the team will not play an away game against RK Vojvodina in Novi Sad on Saturday,” the club’s statement said.
The European federation had previously announced investigations: “The EHF condemns the incidents in the strongest possible terms and underlines that such behavior has no place in European handball. Statements are being obtained from the clubs concerned to determine whether further measures should be taken. “