“They’re just idiots”
Pauli President is considering deducting points for fan riots
02/27/2023 1:29 p.m
Destroyed toilets, firecrackers flying at professionals, referees and fans, at least two injured. This is the result of the two-league game between FC St. Pauli and Hansa Rostock. Hansa boss Marien is upset about his own supporters, Pauli President Göttlich is already one step further.
After the frightening pictures from the Millerntor Stadium during the second division north duel of FC St. Pauli against Hansa Rostock (1:0), the bosses of the two clubs were in agreement. Both St. Pauli President Oke Göttlich and Hansa’s CEO Robert Marien saw the rampage of some Rostock supporters in the ranks as crossing a line. At least one steward and one home fan were injured in the incident. A total of around 3000 Hansa supporters came to Hamburg on Sunday.
As a consequence, Göttlich considered tougher sanctions for clubs affected by fan misconduct. In many stadiums it has gotten a lot worse in recent months, said the 47-year-old in the “Sportclub” on NDR television. “The financial damage is no longer sufficient. You can tell that it doesn’t work as a limit there. Maybe it’s the direct deduction of points that you have to discuss internally when limits are crossed,” he said.
Hansa Rostock has “massively accumulated penalties”
Marien was noticeably upset about what had happened. “We accumulated massive penalties. You have to discuss it. But I don’t want to focus on the financial thing today because violence was involved today, in a form in which a red line was crossed by far,” he said.
“We in the DFL have to talk about how we can counter such transfers in any way,” said Göttlich, who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the German Football League. “We have noticed – and this is not only the case with FC St. Pauli or Hansa Rostock, but also with many clubs – that a certain clientele is no longer held responsible in any way.” In many stadiums it has gotten much worse in recent months, said the head of the neighborhood club.
Folder hit with part of a sink
The fears of the northern duel, which was classified as a high-risk game, were confirmed at least after the half-time break. Because pyrotechnics were ignited and firecrackers were thrown in and out of the fan block of the guests from Rostock, the game was started ten minutes late after the break. One of the folders had been hit by a piece of ceramic from a broken sink and was taken to the hospital. A St. Pauli fan was injured by being shot at with a firecracker. According to FC St. Pauli, fire was set in a destroyed toilet facility.
“We can only apologize for that and wish him all the best,” said Marien, who only knew the injured steward at the time of his statement. He couldn’t be ashamed of 50 people. “They are just complete idiots. I distance myself from them, they have nothing to do with Hansa Rostock,” he emphasized.
Pyrotechnics, according to the police, even during the train journey
In the meantime, the federal police have announced that there was considerable damage to property on the return journey of Hansa fans on two regional trains. In the first train there were about 710 football fans of FC Hansa, in the second about 350 supporters. According to the federal police, the door of the train toilet was torn from the hinges in the first regional train. In the other lane, the ceiling paneling was smashed in three times and a sunshade on the window was destroyed.
In addition, pyrotechnics were allegedly ignited by Hansa fans at the stops in Schwerin Süd, Bützow, Schwaan and at Rostock Central Station. Unknown persons sprayed the roof of the passenger tunnel at Hagenow station in blue and red with the lettering “Scheiss St. Pauli”. The Federal Police initiated an investigation into the violation of the Explosives Act and damage to property.
Despite the anger, Marien wants to keep talking to the active fan groups. “It always comes down to cooperation and dialogue. When it came to violence, we always agreed in the fan groups that the red lines that we defined should also be observed,” he said. “The second thing is that you exchange information about the financial damage.” The club – like other clubs – has repeatedly been asked to pay by the DFB sports court for misconduct by the fans.