Cologne (dpa / lnw) – After the serious riots between supporters of 1. FC Cologne and OGC Nice in the first leg, the Cologne police wrote an open letter to the supporters before the second leg in the Europa Conference League. “Anyone who wants to spoil the football experience for others will receive a ‘red card’ from us,” says the letter, which is written in German and French.
After the first leg in Nice, which was overshadowed by serious riots in the stadium immediately before kick-off, the police are expecting “a high level of emotionalization among violent supporters of both clubs” on Thursday. But the officials make it clear in the letter: “Scenes like in Nice must not be repeated in Cologne!”
In the letters they provide information on how to get there, on how to behave respectfully towards one another and, among other things, remind them of the ban on pyrotechnics. They also emphasize: “As the police, we are neutral and do not differentiate according to club colors. We only differentiate between peaceful fans and violent disruptors.” The police will “take consistent action and take the necessary measures against violent fans – whether in the vicinity of the stadium or elsewhere in the city”.
In the first leg almost two months ago, there were serious riots and several injuries in France. A fan fell from the upper tier of the audience. The German authorities identified 16 suspects, all of whom are known as “violent sport offenders”. Arrest warrants were issued against five men. 400 officers searched apartments in Cologne, Hürth, Pulheim and Bergisch Gladbach.
