Freiburg head coach voices support for traveling fans after Europa League ‘atmosphere boycott’ | OneFootball

SC Freiburg’s Europa League win last night was somewhat dampened by the fact that the Bundesliga club’s traveling supporters were subject to draconian restrictions on their trip to the south of France. Hosting Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice – wary of the riots that took place between its supporters and visiting 1. FC Köln fans during an autumn 2022 Conference League fixture – took precautions.

The French club forced Freiburg supporters to travel to the stadium on special shuttle buses and redeem their tickets at a designated meeting point. Other restrictions common in European football were imposed. Fans were not allowed to sport SCF fan-gear en-route to the stadium, were ushered into the guest-block early, and shepherded out shortly after full-time.

The manner in which fan traffic towards the stadium was managed meant that some SCF supporters were stuck on their shuttle buses for a prolonged period of time and not allowed access to the bathroom. As a result of all these complications, the Freiburg fans opted not to vocally support their team during the match. SCF head coach Julian Schuster commented on the matter at the post-match press conference.

“It does affect me to hear about something like this,” Schuster said. “We are fundamentally very grateful to be able to travel internationally. It means a lot to us as a club, and, naturally, to the fans as well. These are things you don’t want to hear about. One doesn’t wish such conditions on anyone. The fans should know that our thoughts are with them. I hope and wish that they return home safely.“

GGFN | Peter Weis