Police and DFB investigate
Nine seriously injured after Schalke square storm
May 9, 2022, 5:17 p.m
The ecstasy is exuberant, hundreds of FC Schalke fans celebrate the resurgence on the lawn, and Cologne supporters are also unleashed because of the European Cup entry. The police don’t like that at all, especially since there are several seriously injured people. The control committee of the DFB is now investigating.
According to the security authorities, the rushing of football fans after the games of 1. FC Köln and FC Schalke 04 could have had dramatic consequences. Above all, the boundless cheering in the arena in Gelsenkirchen presented the police with a major challenge. “This space storm could have ended in a catastrophe,” said Chief Police Director Peter Both. Both clubs face consequences. The control committee of the German Football Association has started investigations after the incidents on Saturday, as a DFB spokesman confirmed on Monday. The clubs were asked to comment.
According to current knowledge, 18 people were injured in Gelsenkirchen, nine of them seriously. Nobody is in mortal danger. “The immediate and quick intervention of numerous police officers prevented worse things from happening here,” Both said. More than 2,000 fans crowded onto the field, and there were falls and injuries in the stands. Some victims were taken to the hospital.
“We hope that people will recover quickly and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” said a spokesman for FC Schalke. The crowds on the field have left their mark. The club said the lawn was over and no longer playable.
In Cologne, too, numerous spectators ran onto the pitch after the final whistle to celebrate their team and secure souvenirs, for example in the form of pieces of pitch. The club confirmed that many safety precautions had been taken and that fans had also been appealed not to storm the interior. Additional fences had been installed and the visitors were to be kept away from it with announcements. There were no injuries in the stadium.