dpa | The fan disturbances at the match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC are also of concern to the German Football Association (DFB). “We can confirm to you that the DFB Control Committee, following the incidents in the framework of the second-division game between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC at the start of the new week, will initiate disciplinary proceedings against both clubs,” the association said in response to a request.
In a first step, both clubs would then be asked to provide written statements, the DFB said. On Saturday evening, pyrotechnics had been ignited in both fan camps during the match. Afterwards, fans of both teams climbed over the fences. Dresden supporters, masked, ran along the pitch toward the Hertha fan block. Pyrotechnics were shot back and forth.
Pitch invasion and game interruption
Referee Sven Jablonski had to suspend the encounter and sent the teams to the locker rooms. Police tried to push the Dynamo supporters back into their block. There, a Hertha flag was then burned. In light of various offenses in the past, Dresden and Hertha may possibly face considerable penalties from the association’s judiciary.
The Dresden police had stated that more than a dozen investigations had been opened. The fans are being investigated on suspicion of breach of the peace, dangerous bodily harm, property damage, insult, as well as ticket fraud.
Dynamo ahead of review: “An absolute blow to the till”
The incidents at the second-division top clash between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC represent a huge setback in the fight to preserve fan culture and stadium safety. “Our home games are known for a unique atmosphere. Images as we saw tonight are not acceptable and damage not only our club but German football as a whole massively,” said Dynamo’s managing director Stephan Zimmermann in a club statement after the 0-1 defeat to Hertha BSC.
Zimmermann explained that he has been working with numerous other clubs and politicians “for months” for fan interests and a safe stadium experience. “Such scenes are an absolute blow to the till,” he stressed. Even during the match, with two interruptions, the Dynamo officials spoke with the senior police authorities to exchange initial insights. “These perceptions and observations are now part of the fundamental review,” the statement said.
“We must and will evaluate this evening in detail, and we would like to apologize in the strongest possible terms to all those who were drawn into such unnecessary actions,” Zimmermann remarked.
Dynamo’s head coach Thomas Stamm was also visibly disappointed by the incidents, especially since the spectators in the stadium had initially paid respectful tribute to the late honorary captain Hans-Jürgen Kreische. “The sport should have been in the foreground today, in my opinion it was not, and even more so that during the opening phase, with a mourning moment, with a great deal of respect also from the Hertha fans—nobody made a sound—then, unfortunately, other things come to the fore that have no place in football,” Stamm said at the press conference.