On Monday, Magdeburg becomes a high-security zone. Up to 26,300 fans are expected to watch the DFB Cup match against European Cup winners Eintracht Frankfurt (8.45 p.m.) in the MDCC Arena. A challenge not only in terms of traffic.
The responsible police station in Magdeburg is also preparing for a large-scale operation, as some of the fan camps have been classified as “hostile”. “We also asked hundreds from other federal states,” said a police spokeswoman on Thursday.
The serious background: On August 21, 2016, FCM and Frankfurt met at the same place in the first round of the cup. The first division team won almost 4:3 (after 1:1) on penalties. However, the incidents on the fringes concerned the DFB sports court after Frankfurter had fired two flares into the FCM family block.
And because masked Magdeburg supporters tried to storm the interior, the game was interrupted for eleven minutes and riot police had to be deployed in the stadium. In the aftermath, both clubs were sentenced to two spectator partial exclusions, and the FCM was also fined 20,000 euros.
Magdeburg is making extensive preparations to ensure that things remain calm this time. Match operations manager Matthias Kahl: “As with all games, we are in contact with the authorities, representatives of the opposing club and of course with our own fans. Appropriate fan separation will also be implemented, for example through buffer zones in the spectator areas.”