UEFA Europa League Final
Clashes between fans, captain with a laceration and transmission problems: This is how the game Frankfurt vs Glasgow works
Eintracht Frankfurt fans parade through the streets of Seville
© Boris Roessler / Picture Alliance
Finally a German team is in the final of the UEFA Europa League again. The game was expected with great anticipation. However, there were already clashes between fans in the run-up – and shortly after the kick-off also between two professionals on the pitch.
The final in the Europa League had been eagerly awaited – and things got exciting even before kick-off, when dozens of fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and Glasgow Rangers attacked each other in Seville, southern Spain. Around 6:00 p.m., they threw chairs from street cafes, bottles and other objects at each other in the city center, the local newspaper “Diario de Sevilla” reported. A video showed how fights broke out and people who were lying on the ground were kicked. Initially, nothing was known about arrests. The opposing groups retreated when the police arrived.
Five Eintracht fans were arrested earlier in the day. According to the police, they were part of a group of 200 German supporters who are said to have attacked Scottish fans near the cathedral in the city center on Wednesday night. On Wednesday, the police confirmed reports from the Spanish media on request. The German fans are said to have thrown flares, tables and bottles at the officials. They are therefore accused of disturbing public order and aggression.
150,000 fans – “This is outrageous”
The police chief in charge, Juan Carlos Castro, had warned of “serious problems” shortly before the first riots on Tuesday. Around 150,000 fans were expected in Seville for the final on Wednesday evening, 100,000 from Scotland and 50,000 from Germany. “This is outrageous,” said Castro. “That’s too many people with too much alcohol, most of them without a ticket to the game. And there are a lot of construction sites in the city. All of this can lead to serious problems.” 5,500 security forces were deployed for the finale. Castro spoke of the “most difficult game in recent years” in the Andalusian metropolis.
Each club received a contingent of 10,000 tickets for the final. The Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán only offers space for about 44,000 spectators. Most of the fans who traveled from Germany and Scotland therefore followed the final in front of large screens in fan zones and in the Cartuja Stadium or in pubs.
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Missed lacerations due to streaming issues
However, fans who wanted to stream the game from home were left behind in the first half. Because there were occasional problems with the broadcast of the Europa League final. “Dear football fans, we know about the technical problem with the stream on some devices,” tweeted RTL+ on Wednesday evening shortly before the game kicked off. “We are working flat out on a solution. Alternatively, feel free to use the RTL TV stream in the app or the free TV broadcast on RTL.” Several internet users reported a black screen on social networks.
After a good half hour of the first half, RTL+ reported that the problem had been fixed. “The streams should now be running again,” it said on Twitter.
Accordingly, some fans may have missed the tense minutes after kick-off. Team captain Sebastian Rode fell to the ground after a duel in the first minutes of the game. John Lundstram from Glasgow had unluckily caught him in the head with an open sole. Rode suffered a laceration and had to be treated, reports the “Bild” newspaper and the television station nTV. With a head bandage, Rode and Lundstram continued – without warning.