The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzales, described Friday, September 9 on France Bleu Azur the German ultras of the Cologne football club as “savage hordes that poured out” in Nice, after the incidents that marred the match between Nice and Cologne in the Europa League Conference.
During the violent clashes, 30 supporters were injured. 9 police officers were also injured, franceinfo learned from a police source. A supporter who came from the FC Cologne stand was hospitalized in “absolute urgency“.”There were among the German supporters Parisian supporters“, assures Bernard Gonzales. He confirms that this seriously injured was one of the Parisian supporters who came to Nice.
The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes regrets the attitude of the German club. He explains that the arrival of the German supporters had been “framed, they had been separated. With one arrival in Cannes, the others in Nice. Transport had to be done on board public transport“.
But, according to the prefect, this was not the case. The leaders of the Cologne club “did not use all of these means and they wanted to do a ‘fan walk’, the walk of the supporters, which during the preparatory meetings, we had refused“. Thus, the leaders of the German club “were not able to get their troops to respect the framework that had been set“, denounces the prefect again.
End of the match in Nice.
No incident during the meeting. More than 650 police and gendarmes, 600 stewards mobilized. The emergency services took care of 32 injured, including one seriously.@ prefect06 condemns the inadmissible behavior of a few dozen ultra-alcoholic people.– Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes (@prefet06) September 8, 2022
Bernard Gonzales estimates between 200 and 300 the number of ultra German supporters who committed the violence in Nice. “There was unacceptable behavior from German fans“, regrets the prefect. Why not have banned alcohol? “How to enforce the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol? (…) It would have been necessary to close the whole city“, he replies.
The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes is however delighted to see that there is no “showcases taken down, we still did what was necessary to avoid the worst. Throughout the day, the police were reactive. We did not have a fight, fights (…) until the arrival at the stadium“.