It didn’t feel right so we went home
Dad of Arsenal fan, 8:
Eight-year- old isaac was excited to be going to his first night game at arsenal. his father had bought Friends and Family tickets at the emirates Stadium through his red membership but they arrived to find the gates at section P closed.
amid flashing blue lights, riot police and dog handlers, thousands of boisterous Cologne fans were jostling to enter the ground through the same turnstiles.
‘it didn’t feel like a family atmosphere,’ said dad alan Jones. ‘they were chanting and in good spirits but the sheer weight of numbers was intimidating for an eight-yearold. People were saying the game had been delayed and it wasn’t certain to go ahead.
‘Something didn’t feel right. i felt unsure. So we took the decision to leave. i just couldn’t take a chance.
‘there were others doing the same. Most of those walking away were parents with young children. My son was disappointed. We went home and watched the highlights on tV. We’ll try again in the future.’
others, without children to consider, joined in with the spirit of the occasion as Cologne celebrated their return to european football.
When the gates were opened, after a one-hour delay, it was clear the upper tier of the Clock end had been invaded by the visitors, many of them wearing arsenal shirts.
‘the seat i had been allocated seemed to have been taken over by a group of german fans and they clearly were not going anywhere,’ said Barnaby Phillips.
‘they were there in huge numbers, mostly men, they were raucous and many were very drunk but they were friendly and good natured. i didn’t find them threatening. they sang, “there’s only one team in london” and gave Per Mertesacker some stick but this wasn’t a huge hooligan firm. We found some seats nearby and tried to cheer on our team. it wasn’t a big deal. inside the ground they created a great atmosphere. one guy told me he bought his ticket for £80 from a tout.’
one Cologne fan, roland Flessner, told Bleacher report how one problem came when shops near highbury Fields, where many german groups had gathered, ran out of beer. ‘i am not sure english people knew how much we care about our team,’ said Flessner.
‘there was a time when certain sections of Cologne supporters had a reputation for violence, but in the past four or five years that has changed. it was peaceful.’
Some security staff at the stadium were pushed aside in isolated skirmishes with groups of Cologne fans who wanted to be closer to the away support.
others knocked down temporary barriers, seats were ripped out in the away section, flares were lit and objects thrown.
lois langton, chair of arsenal independent Supporters’ association, said: ‘UeFa must sanction Cologne in the way that it doubtless would have had an english club’s supporters behaved in such a disgraceful manner.
‘it is only right that charges have been swiftly brought.’
however lukas Podolski, a legend of FC Cologne and a former arsenal striker, now playing in Japan, tweeted: ‘the mood in the stadium was great. Cologne shouldn’t need to hide or be ashamed, that was a really great atmosphere, more than the Champions league.’