After the police and fan representatives, Eintracht Frankfurt, as the organizer, has now spoken out about the incidents surrounding the Bundesliga game between Eintracht and VfB Stuttgart last Saturday and criticized both the law enforcement officers and the spectators involved.
Daniel Schleidt
Coordinator of the business editorial team in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
Eintracht first points out that as organizers they were not aware of the police’s classification of the game as a risky game and that this was never communicated to the club. The club also points out that, contrary to a police report, the VfB Stuttgart supporters were not involved in the events. According to a statement from Eintracht, corresponding reports to the contrary that are still circulating are false.
Folder is beaten by a group of spectators
Eintracht also believes that the riots were triggered by an incident at the entrance to block 40 of the home curve. A security employee from the club was requested by the security service to assist after smaller groups repeatedly gained access by pushing away the security employees. When the employee there held the arm of a person from the group who had tried to get into the block in order to confront him, he was immediately physically attacked by around 20 people standing by. He was only able to get out of this situation with the support of a colleague who rushed to the scene.
According to Eintracht, when the police arrived there with around 15 people without helmets, they were attacked “immediately and from different directions”. This was the start of the serious arguments that extended well into the first half of the football game, it is said.
At least 200 injured
In addition to the officially named more than 100 injured police officers and security service employees, Eintracht is assuming, according to initial estimates based on feedback, that there will be at least 100 additional injured spectators.
“The violent action against the stewards and especially against the security staff, which set the entire chain of events in motion, is unacceptable,” the Bundesliga club said in a statement. These attacks should be condemned clearly and unreservedly, as should the violence that was later unleashed against the police. “Both are inexcusable and will continue to concern us with the processing and consequences for a long time,” said the responsible Eintracht board member, Philipp Reschke.
“Police operations must be dealt with”
However, the club also points out that the police operation also needs to be dealt with – a police operation that “in terms of duration and intensity has never before taken place in the stadium in this form,” as the statement says. A number of uninvolved injured people, whose descriptions have reached Eintracht Frankfurt since the incidents on Saturday evening, would require a detailed and self-critical analysis of the entire operation and the resources used. “We will carefully evaluate the findings and eyewitness reports that reach us and make an appropriate classification,” continued Reschke.
At the same time, the focus must be on the upcoming home and away games in the three competitions, especially on the home game against PAOK Saloniki this Thursday. Eintracht Frankfurt is absolutely dependent on all sides making their contribution to de-escalation and objectification. “We will keep a very close eye on the involvement of those involved in this. Every single person shares responsibility for ensuring that we experience a safe, peaceful and, above all, successful football evening,” said Reschke.
Katharina Iskandar and Daniel Schleidt Published/Updated: Recommendations: 41 Marc Heinrich, Frankfurt Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Jan Ehrhardt Published/Updated: Recommendations: 25
In the statement, Eintracht apologizes to everyone who was injured or harmed in the course of the clashes, especially those who were not involved.
On Saturday there were violent clashes in the Waldstadion before Eintracht’s game against Stuttgart. There are still different representations and assessments of the events between the police and eyewitnesses.
