FEAR AND FIRE
Cologne fans storm the Emirates
ARSENAL launched their European campaign in chaos last night as thousands of Cologne supporters forced a delayed kick-off.
The Europa League match was put back an hour amid safety fears as visiting fans stormed security cordons and attempted to smash through the Emirates turnstiles.
About 20,000 fans made the trip from Germany to savour their club’s first taste of European football for 25 years, their sheer number causing problems for police and stewards.
More specifically, many did not have tickets or acquired them for Arsenal sections, forcing the club
to close the gates and put the stadium into ‘lockdown’.
There were reports of anti-social behaviour, including supporters urinating in the streets.
One photograph on social media showed a man with blood pouring from a head wound. ITV political editor Robert Peston reported Nazi salutes and ‘peeing on doorsteps’ by Cologne fans amid ‘chaos at Arsenal’. Witnesses said stadium seats were vandalised.
For a time there were fears the match would be called off, as police and stewards outside the ground struggled to get a grip on the boisterous away following. The Metropolitan Police told
Sportsmail at 9.40pm that four arrests had been made.
Once the game began, Cologne fans dominated the lower tier of Arsenal’s Clock End and pockets of them appeared all over the stadium. Red flares were lit and, when Cologne took the lead through Jhon Cordoba’s wonder strike, the supporters went wild. They only settled when riot police lined up behind the goal.
Met Police had earlier released a statement saying: ‘Officers are dealing with disorder at the Emirates Stadium. A policing plan is in place for the game. Additional officers have been deployed.’
Initially there were only 110 officers designated for duty at the game, but more were drafted in as kick-off loomed and the problems intensified. Groups of Germans stormed past the outer cordon, where tickets were being checked, and some tried to force their way through the stadium gates.
The Emirates was put into lockdown and the match was delayed by an hour, with kick-off rescheduled for 9.05pm.
Security meetings were held as safety experts debated whether the match could go ahead. There was a strong argument to call off the game. Equally, it was argued, it would be dangerous to turn the fans back into London without having seen the game.
Turnstiles were closed and fans stacked up on the generous concourse around the ground. At a less modern venue, the chaos could have been far worse.
Police riot vans and dog units poured into the area and seized control, blocking off key routes to the ground including the bridge across the railway tracks from Drayton Park station.
Police helicopters circled overhead. Some spectators with young children headed home.
The vast majority waited in good spirits in the rain, but it was clear at every entrance — those intended for home fans and others for away fans — that there were hundreds of Cologne supporters, dressed in colours and singing loudly.
The turnstiles opened at 7.50pm, 15 minutes before the game was originally scheduled to start.
However, stewards and police still had segregation issues
Barking mad: helmeted riot police with dogs stare down Cologne supporters before kick-off
because Cologne fans with tickets for the Arsenal seats tried to make their way into the away end. When the dust settles, Arsenal and the FA could receive calls from UEFA because Article 15.1 of their safety regulations states the governing body will hold the home team responsible for the allocation of the ‘home’ tickets, so many of which found their way into the hands of Cologne supporters.
Arsenal had been made aware of the likely invasion and said they had been in regular dialogue with the Bundesliga team to plan for the fixture. They gave the visitors 3,000 tickets and issued warnings about segregation.
The London club closed down sales to members who had joined after the Europa League draw and warned the Germans none of them would be allowed into the home end, even if they had tickets. Earlier, touts had been selling on the streets to Cologne supporters and later it was clear that hundreds were among the Arsenal fans.
In Germany, supporters are not separated so stringently as in England. Many were at a loss as to why they were not allowed in.
Security chiefs scoured TV monitors as the ground started to fill up and at 8.30pm came confirmation that the match would go ahead. Eventually the players emerged.
‘Welcome to the home of football, welcome to the home of Arsenal Football Club,’ said the man on the public address system. But it felt like the home of Cologne.
In the end, the visitors from Germany served up one of the noisiest and most passionate nights witnessed at the Emirates Stadium.