by During FCA’s match against Hoffenheim a bang was heard throughout the stadium. During the game, police identified two suspects.
Eleven people were injured when a firecracker exploded in the visitors’ block area during FCA’s match against Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon. THE Police talks about a loud bang in the 57th minute of the match that was heard throughout the stadium. According to the police, several people suffered trauma from the explosion. The game was stopped and those affected were treated by emergency services. According to information from our editorial team, among the injured were a 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl. There is no “life-threatening danger” for the injured, as the Bavarian police in Swabia announced on Sunday morning.
Police identified two suspects during the game. They were identified thanks to video images of the accident. Both men are suspected of being involved in the crime. They were arrested during the match and remain in police custody. The men are both 28 years old and come from the Göppingen area, as the police told our editorial team on Sunday. Over the weekend the court will decide whether they should be released or kept in custody.
A Hoffenheim fan is treated after the firecracker explodes.
Photo: Harry Langer, dpa
“We need to punish him severely,” asked Marinko Jurendic, FCA sporting director, immediately after the match. “It’s incredible nonsense,” said Alexander Rosen, TSG’s sports director. Hoffenheim’s ultra scene distanced itself from the action. Rosen praised the way the referee handled the difficult situation: the match continued only when it was clear that no one was seriously injured. FCA CEO Michael Ströll also praised referee Felix Brych.
Böller flies to the FCA replacements
Still FC Augusta wrote on X, the firecracker flew from the Hoffenheim block towards the Augsburg substitute. However, the firecracker apparently fell near the Hoffenheim fans.
According to his own statements, referee Felix Brych has “never” experienced an incident like the firecracker explosion during FC Augsburg’s Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim. “I have never heard such a loud bang in a football stadium – said the referee, who had to stop the game for five minutes -. I already thought about what would happen to the people who were nearby.” bear this blow,” said the 48-year-old, who was praised by club officials for his behavior after the 1-1 draw. “Of course, if it had been worse, we would have had to take other measures,” said Brych. The referee referred to the DFB’s so-called three-stage plan, which called for the final reaction to be the interruption of the match. As a first stage, Brych gathered the players in the central circle to talk.
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Referee Brych explains his actions after the explosion
The decision to continue playing was made “together with all the people involved”. Consequently, he had to be particularly careful. “How do the players react, does it become frantic? Are they so affected that they can’t play properly anymore?,” Brych said. “Of course I also watched what was happening in the stands.”
TSG Hoffenheim apologized in a statement on Saturday evening and announced that it would support the investigating authorities so that the crime could be fully investigated. “In our 16 years in the Bundesliga we are faced with such a crazy derailment for the first time,” it read. With its values, the TSG is synonymous with peaceful coexistence.
Police urge anyone injured to call 0821/3233810. (with dpa)
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