Wednesday 20th October 2021
Scandal in the UEFA Youth League
Cologne fans are masked and hunt down opponents
Cologne hooligans use an away game in the UEFA Youth League to appear on the international stage. They attack the home fans and storm the place. The club is shaken, as are large parts of the fans. UEFA now faces a penalty.
“The Shame of Genk” was the headline of the “Geißblog” about the adventurous riots of some spectators at the UEFA Youth League match in Belgium. The 1: 3 (1: 1) defeat of the Cologne U19s at KRC Genk and the elimination from the competition only became the background for the unworthy spectacle in the half-time break. Even UEFA is now concerned about this, as it explained just a few hours after the incident in Genk.
What happened in Genk? According to the gloomy descriptions of the fansite, the game was about to be abandoned during the break after a storm of around 50 hooded Cologne supporters. The fans are said to have broken away from a group of around 100 spectators who arrived too late immediately after the half-time whistle in order to reach the fans of the home team across the pitch.
After that it is said to have come to “minute-long arguments”. A video on the KRC Genk homepage showed the incidents as well. The pictures at least partially supported the representation of the fansite. On them you could see the masked Cologne people storming past the main stand. Later you can see folders pushing back the rioters.
The supporters of KRC Genk are said to be targeted because of their fan friendship with Cologne’s bitter rivals from Mönchengladbach. After the fight, they are said to have fled in their cars. The Cologne “Express” reported that the police escorted those involved to the German border.
Association announces work-up
Far from reality, the descriptions on the fansite were certainly not. “It is incredibly sad and completely unacceptable that some angry people abuse the stage of European youth football to satisfy their need for violence,” said Cologne President Werner Wolf, who is also said to have been there. He was disillusioned and added that these people did not care about the welfare of 1. FC Köln. “Fortunately, according to the local police, no one was injured in the confrontation. We will deal with the incident internally.”
In addition to the internal work-up, the UEFA investigations and the disagreements in the fan scene are now joining forces. “They stole their big day from the players,” he wrote “Geißblog” in a comment. “They took away the lightheartedness of an extraordinary moment from the talents. They intimidated teenagers and abused an A junior soccer game for their own ends. What a shame! What a betrayal of these U19 boys! FC Cologne! ”
German fans rioted in Belgium at the beginning of the month. At that time, supporters of Frankfurter Eintracht marched through the city before the game at FC Royal Antwerp and attacked a fan bar. The police then spoke of more than 300 rioters. Video recordings showed hooded rioters, mostly dressed in black, who threw chairs, fireworks and garbage cans, windows and furniture were broken. According to media reports, there were around 100 arrests.