German Football League condemns riots during Dresden v Hertha
Police officers stand in front of the K-Block with Dresden fans during a stoppage at the German 2nd Bundesliga soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa The German Football League (DFL) has strongly condemned the riots that occurred during the second-division match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha Berlin on Saturday. "These riots have nothing to do with fan culture.
For months, we have been advocating for sensible and reasonable security measures to strengthen safety in stadiums and preserve positive fan culture. These incidents endanger fan culture and the entire sport," the DFL told dpa on Monday. The DFL called for a swift and thorough investigation of the events, which is in the best interests of all 36 clubs that together make up German professional football.
The Dresden Police Directorate said on Sunday that it opened more than a dozen investigations after the incident, while the German Football Federation (DFB) also plans to launch its own preliminary probe into both clubs. The chaos started when pyrotechnics were initially set off by fans from both clubs during the match on Saturday evening. Supporters of both teams then climbed over fences and masked Dresden supporters ran along the edge of the pitch towards the Hertha section.
Referee Sven Jablonski had to halt the match and sent both teams to the dressing rooms after the clashes. Police officers tried to push Dynamo supporters back into their section, where a Hertha flag was then burned. Away fans first breached a barrier and entered the inner area of the stadium, which security staff were unable to prevent, the police said.
Around 60 people on the Dresden side were also able to get past the barrier. Hertha won the game 1-0.