Despite heavy criticism
UEFA: No investigation after attack on reporter
April 29, 2022, 3:30 p.m
On the sidelines of Eintracht Frankfurt’s victorious Europa League performance in London, a physical attack on two German radio reporters caused a stir. The indignation is great, the perpetrators are still being sought. However, UEFA has now announced that it will not conduct any investigations.
After the attack on two ARD radio reporters at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League semi-finals at West Ham United, Hessischer Rundfunk and the Bundesliga soccer team heavily criticized the English club and sharply condemned the physical attack. “A football stadium is not a legal vacuum,” said program director Gabriele Holzner in a statement from the broadcaster. It is expected “from the organizing club that it also creates conditions for reporters from the visiting team so that they can do their job without fear of attacks,” added Holzner. Beatings and physical violence are not tolerable under any circumstances.
Eintracht also reacted with outrage to the incident in the 2-1 win. “The attack on journalists from Hessischer Rundfunk cannot be tolerated and is unacceptable for all the emotionality of an important semi-final game with all the accompanying circumstances,” said Jan Martin Strasheim, the club’s head of media and communication. “The events require careful investigation, which West Ham United will also comply with. This has been assured to us by the club.”
For this reason, the European Football Union refrains from disciplinary proceedings against the seventh-placed team in the English Premier League. “The club reacted quickly and will now investigate the incident in order to identify those responsible and ban them,” UEFA said. The ARD agrees with this approach.
Perpetrators are still wanted
According to the radio reporters concerned, Tim Brockmeier and Philipp Hofmeister are doing well. According to their descriptions, they received “several punches in the back of the head, in the neck, in the back” during the semi-final first leg in London’s Olympic Stadium on Thursday evening. That’s probably not “the fine English way,” wrote Brockmeier on Twitter. He thanked the media staff of the Hessian Bundesliga club, but also the host Premier League club, “who really had to bring us to safety during the break”.
West Ham United also condemned what happened. “We will work to find the perpetrators,” a club spokesman was quoted as saying by “Kicker”. “You will be banned indefinitely and not allowed to enter the London Stadium or travel with the club. There is no place for such behaviour.”
The attacks came shortly after West Ham equalized in the 21st minute. “We’re being attacked here,” reported Hofmeister during the live broadcast. In the seconds prior, tumult had been audible. “I’ve never experienced anything like that,” said Brockmeier, whose headset had been ripped from his head: “We’re shocked.” During the break, the two reporters from Hessischer Rundfunk changed places and continued to comment from there. “Mentally it was difficult afterwards,” said Hofmeister.