Riots at Conference League game in Nice: Cologne football fan in critical condition

Created: 08/09/2022, 20:24

By: Sandra Kathe

After an incident at the stadium in Nice, the Conference League match between OGC Nice and 1. FC Köln has to be postponed.

© dpa

Due to violent riots, the Conference League game between 1. FC Köln and OGC Nice is postponed to 7:40 p.m.

A Cologne fan is seriously injured.

Nice – After serious riots before the scheduled start of the game of the Conference League game between 1. FC Köln and OGC Nice, a German fan is in an extremely critical condition.

This was reported by the AFP news agency on Thursday evening.

In an initial reaction, 1. FC Köln reported “violent riots between people from both fan camps” and condemned “any form of violence”.

As AFP reported, however, a few hundred of the more than 8,000 Cologne fans who had traveled with them had penetrated into a grandstand of the home fans.

A number of fans were injured in the clashes before police could intervene.

Game postponement in Nice: 1. FC Köln fan injured in riots

The 6.45 p.m. kick-off of the game in Nice was postponed to 7.40 p.m. as a result of the incident.

The fan concerned had fallen from the second tier from a height of five meters in the course of the riots, AFP quoted an official as saying.

In a safety meeting of the European Football Union (UEFA), it was first clarified whether the game could take place at all.

FC captain Jonas Hector addressed a few words to the fans in the stadium in an announcement before 7 p.m.

"We're really keen to play the game with you," he said, "we also want the game to take place.

But we have to say that we don't approve of something like that." He asks the followers: "Keep your nerves, stay calm, support us as best you can.

That's what the club wants too.

That we stand together and just celebrate football in peace and not violence." (ska with SID)