Stewards beat and kick stadium visitors
During the EM quarter-final match between Portugal and Slovenia, a violent incident occurs. A video shows several stewards brutally attacking two fans at the edge of the field. The police are now investigating. According to the police, an investigation has been initiated on suspicion of bodily harm. The Portuguese newspaper "Record" published the video at X, which apparently was taken from the fan block.
In the video images, several stewards seem to be attacking a man in a area near the field during the game. While the person is being held down, a security employee hits him several times in the face with his fist. In the further course, they throw him to the ground and step on his head. Another person is seen lying on the ground and being secured.
According to the Portuguese newspaper "Correio da Manhã", one of the two men wanted to run onto the field after an elbow-meters from Cristiano Ronaldo in the extension. The newspaper refers to statements from an eyewitness. The health status of the man is not yet known, the police said.
Two fans from the Portugal block "had noticed a flash of activity", said Frankfurt police president Stefan Müller to Hessian Broadcasting. This led to a "mutual confrontation". The affected fans are Germans from North Rhine-Westphalia. The entire incident was recorded by the stadium cameras. The identities of four involved parties are already known.
The European Football Union UEFA stated that they have knowledge of the incident and condemn "any violent behavior". The incident is the subject of police investigations, therefore the Union will not make any comments until the conclusion of these.
The violent incident at the EM quarter-final between Portugal and Slovenia in Frankfurt am Main was not limited to the field, as the video from the fan block shown in the Portuguese newspaper "Correio da Manhã" suggests. Despite the unfolding events leading to a mutual confrontation between two fans from the Portugal block, who are Germans from North Rhine-Westphalia, the European Football Championship 2024 organizer UEFA has expressed their condemnation towards any form of violence and will wait for the conclusion of the ongoing police investigation before making any comments.
