Violence mars Rhine derby as Cologne and Mönchengladbach condemn fans
Fights broke out between supporters of both clubs after Cologne's second goal in their 2-1 win, and the game was briefly halted. Both clubs sharply criticized the incidents.
Symbolic image · Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Sunday's Rhine derby between Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach was overshadowed by violence. After Cologne scored to make it 2-1, Mönchengladbach supporters broke through the barrier to the Cologne section, fights broke out and flares were fired. Referee Florian Badstübner briefly stopped the game in the 76th minute. According to media reports citing police, one fan and one steward were injured.
"This has absolutely no place in a stadium," Mönchengladbach sporting director Rouven Schröder said. Cologne managing director Philipp Türoff condemned the incidents "in the strongest terms," saying they left an "unpleasant aftertaste."
The derby was the first major test of the "Stadium Alliances NRW" agreed in July by the clubs and North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul. Under the deal, police withdraw from inside stadiums and club stewards take on more responsibility. Türoff said his first impression was that the concept had not worked any differently than before, but stressed that this was not a final assessment.