Nice-Cologne: violence, injuries, PSG ultras… What you need to know after the clashes

The party turned into a fight, and football took a back seat on Thursday September 9 in Nice. For the resumption of the European season and the Europa League conference, OGC Nice received the German club Cologne. But the meeting was especially tarnished by scenes of violence between supporters of the two camps, in the stands. This new incident around a sports meeting raises many questions as the investigation process will begin to shed light on the events surrounding this match. The facts An hour before kick-off, scheduled for 6:45 p.m., several hundred Cologne supporters invaded the presidential stand of the Allianz Riviera to face their counterparts from Nice, placed in the opposite stand. The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture assured AFP that “it was the Germans who charged”. There followed long minutes of clashes, during which seats and iron bars of the stadium were torn off to serve as weapons. The police then managed to control the situation, while the gates of the stadium had been closed at the same time. Incidents are ongoing at the Allianz Riviera stadium in #nice06. German supporters left their zone… Smoke bombs, fights, damage to the official stands… pic.twitter.com/pTCUkhKSmU – Matthias Galante (@Matthiasgalante) September 8, 2022 Earlier in the day, several damage had been noted in the streets of Nice after the arrival of the Cologne supporters. Trams were tagged, the streets strewn with rubbish, the window of the official store of the Nice club was ransacked, and the monument in memory of the victims of the attack of July 14, 2016 had been damaged by stickers bearing the effigy of the German club reported the town hall of Nice. “We will send the invoices related to the damage and cleaning of public spaces to the Cologne club” reacted the mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi. The results These acts of great violence were not without consequences. 30 supporters were injured, although the full toll is difficult to establish since the first scuffles took place before entering the stadium. One of the injured supporters is hospitalized in “absolute emergency” after falling five meters from the edge of a stand, and suffers “from head and chest trauma” according to the prefecture. Nine police officers were injured Franceinfo learned Friday morning from a police source. PSG supporters among those of Cologne The hooligan in absolute urgency figured well in the ranks of visiting supporters. But it was not an ultra from the Cologne club. As confirmed by the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzales, to France Bleu Azur on Friday morning, the seriously injured is a supporter of Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisian ultras of “Supras Auteuil”, a group officially dissolved since 2010 as the Parisian club recalled in a press release on Friday, have close ties with those of the German formation, the Wilde Horde. A banner was thus deployed in the visitors’ stand at kick-off by these PSG supporters. As Eurosport recalls, in 2016, a “25 years of Ultra Mentality” tifo was deployed during a German Cup match by the Wilde Horde, for the anniversary of the creation of the “Supras Auteuil”. The @prefet06 confirms on @francebleuazur and @F3cotedazur that Parisian supporters were among the German supporters for the match #OGCNKOE pic.twitter.com/i4Kc7l653b – France Bleu Azur (@francebleuazur) September 9, 2022 A match classified at risk The meeting had been placed at risk and was subject to special measures. The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes clarified Friday morning to France Bleu Azur that the arrival of the German supporters had been supervised. “We had separated them, with an arrival in Cannes, the others in Nice” details Bernard Gonzales. The prefect also castigates the attitude of the Cologne club, which did not “respect the framework that had been set” before the meeting. “Their leaders did not use all of these means and they wanted to do a ‘fan walk’, the march of the supporters, which during the preparatory meetings we had refused.” Once at the stadium, the visitor parking lot was forced, and It was enough for “200 to 300” hooligans, according to the count of the prefecture (out of the 7,800 German supporters who had made the trip), to step over a small wall to access the presidential gallery. Thursday evening, no arrest had taken place, “but investigations will be carried out with in particular a work of analysis of the video” indicated Friday to AFP the public prosecutor of Nice, Xavier Bonhomme. The meeting took place all the same The kick-off of the match was postponed by one hour, at 7:40 p.m., after a meeting between representatives of UEFA, the clubs, the prefecture and the security forces. The tension had then subsided, while the captains of Nice, Dante, and Colon, Jonas Hector, had urged their supporters to remain calm. The encounter was subsequently played smoothly, ending in a 1-1 draw. “We weren’t sure we would play but I think we had to play this match, explained Gym coach Lucien Favre at a press conference. I was in favor of playing. We were happy to play this match- there for the simple and good reason that there is no possible date after.” #UECL
Lucien Favre: “I was in favor of playing this match” pic.twitter.com/z39UDfswir – beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) September 9, 2022 What are the two clubs at risk? The range of sanctions is wide, and will depend on the conclusions of the investigation carried out by UEFA, organizer of the Europa League conference. A ban on the movement of German supporters is currently the most likely option if the accusations from the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture are confirmed. A total or partial closed session can also be pronounced. Some of his ultras have already been involved in incidents in the past, such as on the sidelines of a match against neighboring Borussia Mönchengladbach in February 2015. The atmosphere at the Rhein-Energie-Stadion is however family and recognized as among the most warmth from Germany. OGC Nice could for its part be worried if it is found that there are shortcomings in the security system around the match. On August 22, 2021, the match between the Aiglons and Olympique de Marseille could not be completed after incidents with local supporters. Dimitri Payet had been the victim of projectiles. The Nice club then suffered three matches behind closed doors and two penalty points, one of which was suspended.