In the fan block at the European Championships in Berlin
Right-wing extremist banner dismays Austrian association
22.06.2024, 11:25 a.m.
A banner with a right-wing extremist message appeared in the Austrian fan block during the European Championship match against Poland. The national football association is looking for those responsible and condemning the content.
The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) has clearly distanced itself from a right-wing extremist message in the fan block during the European Championship match against Poland. “The ÖFB is very concerned that such a banner made it into the stadium despite strict controls. The national team and the association clearly stand for tolerance, diversity and integration in all areas of our society,” the association said in a statement.
Shortly before the end of Austria’s 3:1 victory over Poland on Friday evening in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, a banner with the inscription “Defend Europe” was held up. This is the title of a campaign by the right-wing extremist “Identitarian Movement” which is stirring up sentiment against migrants. The publicist Ruben Gerczikow, who researches right-wing extremism in football, was one of those who drew attention to this on X.
The ÖFB said that the banner could not be attributed to the national team’s organized fan scene. “ÖFB fan representatives immediately intervened and documented the action, which lasted around two minutes shortly before the end of the game. Work is now underway to clarify the identity of the people involved. Inflammatory messages like these have no place in the national team’s fan sector,” the association said. The ÖFB has clearly positioned itself against extremism for years and does a lot of preventive work, “because this is in stark contrast to all the values that the ÖFB and football embody.”
Gerczikow had the “Sports Show” said this week that “international matches generally represent a stage for nationalism”: “The national teams are often instrumentalized for this.” In his opinion, authorities, associations and society do not pay enough attention to the corresponding symbols and structures. Gerzcikow also said that “the shift to the right in Europe is also reflected in the stadiums of the European Championships like in a magnifying glass.”