Schaffert concerned about "rising spiral of violence" in soccer
DFB Vice President Ralph-Uwe Schaffert has expressed concern about the recent violent incidents in German soccer. "I am very concerned about the ever-increasing spiral of violence," the president of the Lower Saxony Football Association (NFV) told the Braunschweiger Zeitung newspaper (Tuesday). According to Schaffert, most clubs showed too little willingness to change when dealing with violent supporters. "The clubs are powerless and listless in the face of these problem fans," he added.
There have been clashes in and around some stadiums in recent weeks. Last Friday, police officers were attacked by Hannover 96 fans in the guest block of Hamburg's Millerntor Stadium. The police then used pepper spray. At least 32 people were injured. Police also used pepper spray against visiting supporters at the Bundesliga match between Bochum and Cologne.
At the Lower Saxony derby a week earlier, fans from Braunschweig and Hanover had a fight over burning pyrotechnics, Eintracht fans dismantled rows of seats and threw them onto the empty lower tier below. One police officer was injured. "I don't even want to imagine what will happen in the second leg at Eintracht Braunschweig," said Schaffert.
Braunschweig fans were involved again at the weekend. Before the match between their club and VfL Osnabrück, 28 supporters had stopped a bus with visiting fans at a petrol station and tried to force their way in. Accompanying police officers intervened and took the fans into custody. A few days earlier, the police had already prevented a mass brawl involving around 170 people between Braunschweig and VfL supporters at an U19 match in Wolfsburg. "We condemn the use of violence in general and against the police in the strongest possible terms and reject it in any form," Eintracht managing director Wolfram Benz was quoted as saying in the "Braunschweiger Zeitung".
The concern over escalating violence in German soccer extends to Bundesliga 2 clubs like Eintracht Braunschweig, as recent incidents involving their fans have been troubling. Last weekend, Braunschweig fans attempted to force their way onto a bus with opposing fans at a petrol station.
Source: www.dpa.com
