FC St. Pauli reacted with horror to the violence in Hannover 96’s visitors’ block in the top game in the second division. At the same time, the club criticized the behavior of the police in a statement one day after the Friday game. The club is particularly critical of the use of pepper spray from the interior.
“As a result, bystanders were injured and the urgent question arises about proportionality, which must be maintained at all costs,” wrote FC St. Pauli: “We were looking forward to a football festival between two strong teams, but what remains of that evening is “Disturbing impressions that seriously damage football and fan culture and hopefully do not lead to further escalations,” club president Oke Göttlich was quoted as saying: “All parties involved are urged to de-escalate.”
The cause of the riots in the guest fan block on Friday evening is still unclear. According to police reports, a male fan was “severely attacked” and kicked while lying on the ground. When the police intervened, there were violent clashes between fans and emergency services in the block. The game was interrupted for about five minutes because of the events and then continued.
According to the Hamburg police on Saturday morning, at least 15 fans and 17 police officers were injured in the clashes. “This number is likely to be significantly higher, among other things, because of the use of pepper spray,” wrote FC St. Pauli.
Fanhilfe Hannover reported far more injuries in the away block, and there were also said to be serious injuries. According to Fanhilfe, the dispute in the block had already been resolved when the police decided to storm the block anyway. According to police, a fan had to be treated in a hospital and a police officer suffered multiple fractures.
The trigger for the clashes in the 96-fan block was not yet clear on Saturday afternoon. The club’s statement said that available video recordings do not indicate that the rumors of a flag being stolen by a St. Pauli fan are accurate. Similar speculations had spread on social media.
After the game, emergency services were attacked by FC St. Pauli fans in the district with bottles, stones and pyrotechnics, the police said. The officers responded by using pepper spray.