Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen police chiefs issue joint statement after Köln station riot | OneFootball

The police chiefs of both Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen have issued appeals to Bundesliga fans following yesterday’s altercation between Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund supporters in Kölner’s central train station. Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange and his Gelsenkirchen counterpart Tim Frommeyer issued a joint statement on the incident occurring between fans of the fierce Ruhr rivals. 

While there are conflicting reports at this juncture, some sources – including Kicker – are claiming that the violent clash between the two fan groups was not a coincidence. Schalke fans traveling through the Kölner Hauptbahnhof, upon noticing Dortmund supporters standing on the platform, halted their train via the emergency braking system so as to engage in a confrontation with the BVB supporters.

What exactly happened remains unclear. It could also conceivably be the case that Dortmund supporters taunted the Schalke fans, prompting the S04 supporters to halt the train. Kölner police and their federal counterparts continue to investigate the matter. No arrests were made because, in the interest of security, the rival fan groups were simply forced back onto their respective trains. 

Security camera footage could still lead to some specific culprits being identified and prosecuted. The fact that Lange and Frommeyer felt compelled to issue a joint statement appears to suggest that there was fault on both sides. The statement made an oblique reference to last weekend’s football-related violence occurring at the Hannover train station between Wolfsburg and St. Pauli supporters. 

“We’ve observed that the spiral of violence in and around the stadiums of the first and second Bundesliga has been accelerating for several months,” the statement begins. “Time and again, supposed ‘fans’ seem to actively arrange to meet up in order to brutally attack each other. This often happens away from the stadiums. In these so-called third-party confrontations, bystanders also get caught up between the thugs.

“Police officers – who have a duty to prevent such crimes – are attacked and often injured,” the statement continues. “These excessive acts of violence have a direct impact on the police’s trust on the scene and will have consequences. Clubs can assist in bringing significant and lasting change by distancing themselves from such violent groups, imposing stadium bans, and actively helping with the investigative work of the authorities.

“A few hundred troublemakers should not render football matches higher security affairs,” the statement concludes.

GGFN | Peter Weis