Fan expert concerned about rising violence

Created: 09/26/2022, 05:17

A police officer stands in front of the Cologne block in Nice.

There had been violent riots at the game.

© dpa

Fan expert Michael Gabriel has expressed concern about the rise in riots by football supporters in recent weeks.

Frankfurt - "We definitely have an accumulation of incidents and also an accumulation of incidents with high intensity," said the head of the coordination office for fan projects in an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".

There was a “shift” especially within the ultra groups of the clubs.

“The ultras who are violent get more influence and gain more followers.

This is worrying because it is dangerous on multiple levels,” Gabriel explained.

The fan expert fears that the pictures of the riots in Nice and Marseille mean that "people who want to enjoy football no longer dare to go to the stadium".

Gabriel therefore calls on the clubs to stay in close contact with the supporters.

"I would support all clubs that have a close dialogue with all their fan groups in these efforts.

It's not too intense," he said.

"But the clubs must absolutely retain the opportunity to remain able to act in order to be able to sanction."

Most recently, there had been violent fan riots during the European Cup guest appearances by 1. FC Köln in Nice and Eintracht Frankfurt in Marseille.

dpa