DFB investigates after riots against Eintracht Frankfurt
Following the massive riots on the sidelines of the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart, which left more than 200 people injured, the German Football Association has opened an investigation against the Hessians. This was announced by the DFB on Tuesday in response to a dpa inquiry. Eintracht thus faces a penalty ranging from a fine to a spectator ban.
The Bundesliga club had strongly condemned the bloody clashes between Frankfurt fans, security forces and the police last Saturday. "The violent action against the stewards and in particular against the security staff, which set the entire chain of events in motion, is unacceptable," it said in a statement on Monday evening. "These attacks must be condemned just as clearly and unreservedly as the violence that later erupted against the police."
At the same time, the club officially apologized to all those affected. "Our concern is for them and we hope and wish that everyone can recover from their injuries as quickly as possible," said Eintracht board member Philipp Reschke. Numerous fans and bystanders were also injured during the massive police operation.
Just a few days ago, UEFA fined Eintracht 30,000 euros and banned them from the last group match in the Conference League on December 14 at Scottish representative FC Aberdeen. The reason for this was the incidents at the match at HJK Helsinki on November 9, when Eintracht supporters set off pyrotechnics and threw objects.
The investigation by the DFB doesn't only focus on Eintracht Frankfurt, but also potential involvement of soccer hooligans in the riots that disrupted their Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart. The chaotic scene triggered condemnation from Eintracht Frankfurt, who expressed their regret towards all injured parties, acknowledging that the confrontations with security forces and police were unacceptable.
Source: www.dpa.com
