Eintracht Frankfurt averted defeat against Royal Antwerp with a last-minute goal. What both fan camps delivered, however, was a total bust.
Frankfurt am Main – Hot tempers and a tense situation before an international match of the Frankfurt concord? These are the officials police quite used to in the Main metropolis, especially in view of the past successful years. But what happened on Thursday before and during the game against Royal Antwerp was a real test of endurance – and at the same time a sign of failure for both fan camps.
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One of the firecrackers that exploded was so loud that Antwerp’s Birger Verstraete (27, right) nearly blew his ears off. The former kicker of 1. FC Köln even had to be treated medically in the meantime. © DPA/Arne Dedert
On Friday, a spokesman for the Frankfurt police headquarters reported on the sobering record of the SGE’s Europa League day.
This began largely peacefully, at least on the part of the Belgian supporters, of whom around 500 had initially gathered at the main guard.
However, as the start of the game drew closer and the crowd of Flemish football supporters increased, pyrotechnics were used for the first time. When the strong presence of the police began to stop this, an iron bar was thrown, which hit an officer who was fortunately wearing a helmet.
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At around 5:30 p.m., it was finally time for the Belgian guests to set off in the direction of Deutsche Bank Park. But already on the way to Frankfurt’s main train station, beacons were lit again and again. In addition, they did not shy away from throwing paving stones at restaurants in Munich and Moselstrasse.
And it didn’t get quieter in the stadium either – although for the first time a group of Eintracht fans made a negative impression: while around 100 Belgians had previously managed to overrun the access control to the upper tier, there was a physical argument between initially 80, all in black cloaked SGE supporters who wanted to storm into the arena without permission.
After the away fans arrived downtown, they split up into several groups; there were no further riots.
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With their use of pyrotechnics and firecrackers, both fan camps don’t exactly cover themselves in glory. © DPA/Arne Dedert
When the law enforcement officers tried to stop this project, they were suddenly confronted with a group of around 250 men from Frankfurt, who advanced from the nearby Gleisdreieck and threw stones, among other things.
Around 150 of the aggressors were subsequently caught and identified. But in the second half of the Europa League game, which had almost become a minor matter, then the super meltdown.
Some Antwerp and Frankfurt fans alternately ignited pyrotechnics and firecrackers in their blocks.
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A projectile from a Belgian hand, which was thrown into the crowd of spectators, hit a stadium visitor and seriously injured him. The pyro thrower was eventually arrested and brought before a magistrate on Friday.
But the Frankfurt supporters also injured several folders with their burning projectiles. Even after the final whistle, the emergency services’ working day was far from over. The Belgians who were being escorted to the train station continued to be extremely aggressive and repeatedly attacked the officers. The situation only eased after the visiting fans arrived at the Hauptwache.
Goncalo Pacienica (27) had his last-minute goal 2-2 final score a bitter defeat for Eintracht averted, but for parts of both fan camps this football evening was a complete bankruptcy.
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