The conference league match escalated into violence before the game started. The boss of the Nice club called the parties hooligans.
Cologne supporters attacked the home team’s fans. PDO
Nine police officers and a total of 32 people were injured on Thursday in a riot before the Football Conference League match in France, reports news agency AFP.
The home team Nizza faced the German Cologne in the game. More than 10,000 Cologne supporters arrived.
Supporters were fighting and throwing torches even before the start of the match. There were also some Paris Saint-Germain fans who wanted to cheer for Cologne, as Nice is one of PSG’s opponents.
French Interviewed by RMC according to the police, they tried to keep the groups of supporters apart from each other. Then a large crowd ran towards the police and security guards.
– We saw more than a hundred people with hooded heads. Their faces were covered. The attack started and we had to use tear gas. Smoke bombs were thrown at us and stones were thrown at us, the police described.
– They wanted to attack everything that moves.
If the video does not appear, you can watch its here.
At least one person was seriously injured in the chaos.
It is a PSG supporter who fell from the upper stand over the railing. According to RMC, the fall was more than five meters.
A video of the fall has been published, which is not suitable for the faint of heart. The spectator in question is no longer in danger.
If the video does not appear, you can watch its here.
Giant damage
Torches burned in the stands. PDO
The city of Nice estimates that the hooligans caused 50,000 euros in damage. The clubs strongly condemned the events after the match.
– We are stunned by this violence. We have done everything we can to welcome Cologne’s supporters, the Nizza club announced.
– We are doing everything we can to find out what happened. Those who choose violence also get to feel the consequences. We owe it to thousands of peaceful fans and to the whole of football, Köln tweeted.
According to the authorities, at least one PSG supporter who was involved in the fight belongs to a group called Supras Auteuil. The group in question was disbanded in 2010, and all its members are banned from PSG’s home ground.
PSG does not consider the members of that group to be supporters.
– The club is considering what actions it will take, because the behavior of these supporters damaged the club’s reputation.
The story continues after the picture.
Supporters threw objects. PDO
President of the Nice club Jean-Pierre Rivère was shocked by the events.
– Football is a sport that families and children are welcome to join. This can no longer be tolerated. These people, i.e. hooligans, have no place in or near football stadiums.
– We have to find a solution so that they don’t approach the stadiums anymore. They are not places to release stress and fight.
The match had to be stopped for 45 minutes. The game ended 1–1.
Some of the brawlers were in the stands covered in blood. PDO