YOU HAD TOO FEW POLICE...
and Germans wanted more tickets
ARSENAL escaped major sanction for their role in a night of Europa League chaos but have been accused of failing to make adequate preparations for the visit of Cologne.
The German club are set to take the brunt of the blame from UEFA, who yesterday issued four disciplinary charges against them relating to crowd disturbances, fireworks, missiles thrown and acts of damage.
Arsenal were charged over a blocked stairway in the away end and are expected to be fined less than £10,000. But there has been criticism of their readiness for this Europa League tie against a team with such a large and passionate fan-base.
A statement from Cologne released yesterday included an apology for the behaviour of some fans and stressed there was no excuse for attacks on security staff and police. It also claimed Arsenal and the Metropolitan Police were not adequately prepared despite their vast experience in hosting European football.
‘In our view, the security concept and communication seemed inadequate and the police force too small,’ said the Bundesliga club. ‘Due to the enormous demand for tickets, it would have been sensible, not least for security reasons, to allow more than the allocated five per cent of stadium capacity to the guest fans.
‘It was apparent that thousands of people from Cologne would seek to avoid the restrictions and get tickets in every way possible.
‘One such way would be through the help of Arsenal supporters, who passed on their tickets to the FC Cologne fans. Some as gifts, but some also for horrendous prices.’
Cologne repeatedly asked for more tickets before Thursday’s game, aware of the thousands who were planning to make the short trip to London to savour their first European tie for 25 years.
Arsenal were opponents within easy reach, in a huge stadium with fans who were used to the Champions League and not nearly as interested in the Europa League as the visitors.
It generated a perfect ticket storm with huge demand from away fans, far in excess of the 3,000 seats they were allocated, and low demand from home supporters.
Many Germans bought re-sold tickets for Arsenal areas of the ground, causing the Emirates Stadium to be locked down and the kick-off delayed as impromptu security meetings were held.
The game went ahead an hour late and Arsene Wenger’s team came from behind to win 3-1.
Only five arrests were made but supporters complained about the intimidating presence of Cologne fans, especially in the section of the ground designated as a family area. Lois Langton, chair of the Arsenal Independent Supporters Association, called it a ‘dangerous throwback to a bygone era’ and said some Cologne fans had behaved with ‘yobbish abandon’.
Arsenal have promised a full review into the circumstances of Thursday night and vowed to ban any members found to have sold tickets to Cologne supporters.
The club rejected accusations they was not prepared and were satisfied with the way the security operation at the Emirates Stadium was able to defuse the situation with the help of a one-hour delay to the game.
Arsenal estimate fewer than 10,000 Cologne fans bought tickets for the home sections of the ground and made it inside. Some with forgeries were stopped at the turnstiles and turned away.
Wenger admitted there was a time when he thought the match would be postponed. ‘It looked like 90 per cent it would not take place,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘I thought security would never take a gamble on creating problems. To cancel the game could be worse outside the stadium.
Arsenal’s captain Per Mertesacker said it had been difficult to handle the delay but enjoyed the atmosphere. ‘In a way, it was quite fun to play in front of two crowds battling each other,’ said Mertesacker.
‘I don’t know what happened outside. I just wanted to make sure my family was OK. So mixed feelings, but in the end we were happy to have played and finished the game.’