A violent confrontation erupted between football fans following Carl Zeiss Jena’s 5-0 victory over Chemie Leipzig in a regional northeastern league match on Saturday.
The incident left 79 people injured, including 10 police officers, five stewards, and 64 fans from both clubs.
The clashes, which occurred after the match in Jena, located in Thuringia, Germany, were sparked by tensions between the fan groups, despite both sides generally sharing left-wing political leanings. Police have since filed 40 criminal and misdemeanor charges related to the disturbances.
The match, attended by 7,224 spectators, including 1,084 visiting Chemie Leipzig fans, was deemed high risk due to the long-standing rivalry between the two ultras groups.
Prior to the match, around 350 home fans marched through the city unannounced, setting off pyrotechnics. The police intervened, using physical force, batons, and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Carl Zeiss Jena issued a statement blaming the visiting fans for much of the violence, alleging that about 1,200 Chemie Leipzig supporters forcibly breached the buffer zone between the two fan groups, gaining access to the home supporters' area.
The Chemie Leipzig club condemned the actions of a minority of their supporters, who they said were responsible for throwing fireworks into the home section of the stadium. The club strongly denounced the violence, particularly the use of pyrotechnics, and pledged to investigate the matter further.
Germany has faced some challenges with extremist hooligan groups in recent years, but generally maintains a well-organized and vibrant football fan culture.
Despite this, the scenes at Jena highlight the ongoing issues with fan violence, as both clubs vow to address the situation in the coming days.
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