Fear of riots: Frankfurt police with a large contingent in the Champions League game against Marseille

Created: 10/26/2022, 9:40 am

By: Florian Schimak, Melanie Gottschalk

The Champions League first leg between Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille was overshadowed by riots.

The second leg is also considered a high-risk game. 

Update from Wednesday, October 26, 2022, 9:33 a.m .:

The Champions League game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille is awaited with great excitement.

The club and the city are hoping for a peaceful evening of football, but some of the supporters are a bit worried about the club management.

Because, as the scene says, it is open whether something will happen or not.

Some are actually thinking of something like revenge, on the other hand there is information that the very problematic clientele from Marseille will possibly not travel to Frankfurt at all.

The police will be on site in Frankfurt in large numbers so that they can intervene directly if the worst comes to the worst.

Fear of riots: Frankfurt police with a large contingent at the Champions League game

First report from Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 2:37 p.m .:

Frankfurt – There were pictures that caused horror.

On September 13, 2022, there were serious riots during the Champions League group game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille, and an SGE fan was seriously injured.

Six weeks later, the second leg in Frankfurt is coming up, the police and the club have been warned about the events in France.

“What happened there shook me: conditions similar to war prevailed.

Olympique officials weren't looking at what was going on in the Olympique supporters' block.

According to the motto: That's standard with us", describes Eintracht Frankfurt's supervisory board chairman Philip Holzer again the scenes from Marseille in an interview with the

.

Serious riots at Eintracht Frankfurt against Olympique Marseille

During the first leg in the premier class between Eintracht and OM, flares were repeatedly fired at the opposing football supporters and firecrackers were thrown from both fan blocks before the kick-off and during the game.

CEO Axel Hellmann found clear words at the general meeting almost two weeks later.

"It's not fan culture anymore.

That is violence and criminal energy,” Hellmann became clear.

There would be no justification for physical attacks on opposing fans, even if most of the pyrotechnic fire at the stadium came from the home corner.

“We must not measure who has more perpetrators or more victims.

We shouldn't ask that question," says Hellmann.

"I don't want a Eintracht block to shoot at other blocks in which people are standing."

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Olympique Marseille: About 2000 fans from France expected

Of course, Uefa also took on the serious riots, sentenced Eintracht Frankfurt to a guest ban for the next away game of the SGE, as well as a partial ban of at least 1000 spectator seats at the next Champions League home game in the Waldstadion.

Both sentences were suspended for a year.

Furthermore, Eintracht had to pay a fine totaling 45,000 euros. 

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Before the second leg between Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille, both the club and the city are hoping for a peaceful football game in the Frankfurt city forest.

2000 to 2200 fans from France are expected, some of them are considered violent according to the press office of the police in Frankfurt.

"We are in contact with our colleagues from France, will be on site in public places in the city and on the way to the stadium with a large presence," said the press office of the Frankfurt police when asked by

Eintracht Frankfurt against Olympique Marseille: large contingent of the police

The state police rely on close cooperation with the federal police and the authorities in France.

There will be no general "meeting point" for fans from Marseille in Frankfurt.

As

knows, riots are expected, these cannot be prevented, as some fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille have the feeling that "an account is still open".

However, one will try to de-escalate and intervene as early as possible in order to limit the incidents.

This is what police circles say about the “biggest operation of the year”.

But as the Frankfurt police said in the run-up to the game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Marseille, they were prepared for anything.

"There is a corresponding operational concept," said a press spokesman.

For investigative tactical reasons, however, this is not made public.

And the SGE also knows about the professionalism of the authorities: "I'm sure all the people involved will do what is necessary to be appropriately prepared," said Philipp Holzer in the run-up to the game.