Frankfurt Ultra fans protest against police action
Hundreds of Eintracht Frankfurt soccer fans stayed away from the start of the Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart in protest against what they saw as disproportionate police action outside the stadium. Fifteen minutes after kick-off, numerous seats in the Frankfurt fan block, where the Ultras stand, were still unoccupied. The block did not fill up again until the middle of the first half.
According to the police, there had initially been clashes between rival supporters of both teams on the stadium grounds in the run-up to the match. When the emergency services intervened, the fans then proceeded to "vehemently attack them", the Frankfurt police announced via X (formerly Twitter). Additional officers, including water cannons, were also deployed.
Despite the ongoing protests, Eintracht Frankfurt's Soccer team eventually faced VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga game, albeit with a noticeable absence of Ultra fans in the first half. The absence of Eintracht Frankfurt's vocal supporters could be linked to their dissatisfaction with the police actions before the match.
Source: www.dpa.com
