Thousands of fans on the streets, little distance and masks and even spectators in some arenas – on the last day of the season, professional football has approached a familiar normal from the time before Corona.
Corona rules are often disregarded
The emotional images of desire for ascent and grief for descent were once again accompanied by riots with pyrotechnics, injured fans and police officers and a series of arrests. At the focal points of Bremen, Cologne, Berlin, Rostock, Ingolstadt and Dresden, corona rules were also violated by the fan groups – probably also an expression of the general relaxation exercises in pandemic-tired Germany.
Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler saw the return of 2,000 spectators to the An der Alten Försterei stadium as a signal of hope. “We feel comfortable with it”said the club boss at “Sky” and emphasized: “The clubs are well prepared for people to come back.” For the first time in almost seven months, fans were allowed to enter the Köpenicker Arena. The fact that at the subsequent celebration of the sporting success those fans, some of them without masks, stood tightly together and celebrated the team, was apparently ignored by the “ironists”.
250 fans in Munich
For the first time since March 2020, champions FC Bayern Munich were able to welcome some spectators to the arena at the end of the season. Instead of 75,000, there were only 250 this time, but Munich’s outgoing coach Hansi Flick still said: “That felt good.” Access was only possible with a negative corona test or proven vaccination, and a mask was required in the stands. It was possibly a first test run for the European Championship games in Munich, if the German team could play in front of at least 14,500 spectators in June.
Riot in Rostock and Cologne
The biggest backdrop of the weekend was welcomed by FC Hansa Rostock. 7,500 people attended the second division promotion of the hosts in the Ostseestadion. “It’s a really great feeling. Celebrating with the crazy people here is unbelievable”, enthused Hansa professional Lukas Scherff. Then 6,000 Rostock fans celebrated their return to the second division after nine years, crowded on the Neuer Markt, and mask wearers were in the minority, as in the stadium.
During the night riots broke out and a group of 250 rioters attacked the police and fire brigade with pyrotechnics and throwing bottles. Similar scenes took place in Cologne. After 1. FC Köln saved themselves from being relegated to the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against FC Schalke 04, police officers and fans suffered lacerations, cuts and bang trauma in confrontations. A WDR employee was also attacked and injured. Several rioters were taken into custody.
Pyrotechnics in Krefeld
Ten fans were arrested on the sidelines of the third division game between FC Ingolstadt and TSV 1860 Munich – mostly from Munich. Here, too, pyrotechnics had been used. In Krefeld, a person was slightly injured by a smoke pot thrown into the team bus at the celebrations for the third division club KFC Uerdingen. After the heavy riot of the previous week, it remained peaceful this time in Dresden, where second division promoted Dynamo was received by around 1,000 fans with Bengalos.
Around 1,500 fans had also gathered at the Weserstadion to swear the Werder Bremen team to the decisive game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. After the 2: 4 bankruptcy, some of the frustration turned into aggression. The “uncanny solidarity” of the supporters, which Werder interim coach Thomas Schaaf felt, did not help in the fight against the first relegation in 41 years.
dpa/red
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Stand: 23.05.2021, 13:29
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