Criminals, not fans: Mannheim derby leaves 120 injured
In Mannheim, the DFB‑Pokal first‑round clash between Waldhof Mannheim and 1. FC Kaiserslautern was halted for about a half Stunde after rockets, Hooligans and mounted Polizei entered the Spielfeld, and officials said the situation was “very close to Abbruch”. The chaos forced a thirty‑minute interruption and threatened the continuation of the match.
Police also deployed Pferden and Hunden, with the Hilfe of these animals, which helped restore the Lage and regain Kontrolle on the Spielfeld relatively quickly. Polizeidirektor Michael Reichert, Einsatzleiter, said, “Unser taktisches Konzeot ging voll auf”.
Injuries and police deployment
Bei the Freitagabend incident, 35 Polizisten were lightly injured – 33 from the German Bundespolizei and two from Baden‑Württemberg – and 85 Fans required medical care, eight of whom were taken to hospital. A total of 1 400 police officers were on Einsatz for the DFB‑Pokalspiel, and several arrests were made. Images by Oliver Zimmermann documented the scene.
Manuel Hagel, Baden‑Württemberg’s Innenminister, praised the Polizei’s preparation and called the fans “Kriminelle”. He stated, “Wer den Fußball als Bühne für Gewaltexzesse missbraucht, andere Fans mit Absicht in Gefahr bringt und vor allem auch Sicherheitskräfte verletzt, ist kein Fan, sondern ein Krimineller.”
After the regular time whistle, players from both sides clashed and Raketen were launched onto the pitch and the main tribune. Some Mannheim supporters stormed the field, and mounted police also entered the grass, bringing the match “very close to Abbruch”. Raketen had already been set off before the Anpfiff. Und das Spiel stand sehr nah am Abbruch.
Investigations and possible sanctions
Erste Ermittlungen have been opened for insults, bodily injury, property damage, breach of peace, assault on police officers and violations of the explosives law. Both clubs face the prospect of disciplinary action. Referee Robert Schröder said a Sonderbericht will be compiled and that the Spielausschuss or sports court will determine any sanctions.
Schröder added that when Raketen fly onto the Spielfeld or even the stands and people can be injured, “the fun stops” and the situation is “very sensitive”. He halted the game after roughly a 30‑minute interruption and the match proceeded to extra time once the police presence calmed the Lage. The referee resumed play after the police cleared the field and secured the stands, and the match eventually continued into extra time, where Kaiserslautern secured a 1‑0 win after the interruption.
Kaiserslautern sport director Thomas Hengen said, “It was a derby and that must stay on the pitch. What happened in the stands harms us, harms everyone, harms football.” He also noted he had not expected the game to be finished.