The Cologne police have been searching for fans of 1. FC Köln since yesterday, Monday. The people affected are accused of being involved in arguments following the home game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on March 3, 2024.
After the derby, the ultra scene of 1. FC Köln was walking down Junkersdorfer Straße when there were clashes with the police. The affected FC fans are accused of throwing branches, tree trunks and pyrotechnics at the riot police, among other things. “As the spectators were leaving the stadium after the game, three people got into an argument on Junkersdorfer Strasse. When riot police intervened and separated the parties, participants in a fan march that had started shortly before with around 500 people became aware of the situation. The march stopped immediately, the participants returned and attacked the emergency services. They obviously threw objects that they found in the immediate vicinity. Support forces surrounded the attackers and prevented further attacks. So far, at least ten people are being investigated for serious breaches of the peace, two of them are already in police custody,” the Cologne police said at the time about the incident. Today, Tuesday, the Cologne police announced that a suspected person had contacted the police and public prosecutor’s office through a lawyer. This search is therefore invalid
Police operation on Junkersdorfer Straße after the derby between 1. FC Köln and Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Bild: wh96.de
When there was a public search for fans of 1. FC Köln in June 2024, the Kölsche Klüngel, as a fan aid, raised the question of the proportionality of the police’s actions. At the time, fan support also criticized the media that distributed the images published by the police because they were sometimes shown in the media for several hours longer than on the police wanted portal.
Faszination Fankurve generally does not publish images of public searches. Several football-related cases in the past, in which people were wrongfully searched for in public, show how dubious this method can be. One can only imagine the impact on the life of a young person whose picture was mistakenly published. Problems at the employer or in the private environment can follow. (Fascination Fan Curve, November 4th, 2024)
