EContrary to statements made by representatives of VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, the meeting between the two Bundesliga clubs has already been viewed as a risky game in the past, according to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior. “In the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons, the encounters between these two teams in Wolfsburg were already classified by the police as a so-called “red game”,” the ministry said on Wednesday when asked by dpa.
Werder Ultras did not come to the game in Wolfsburg (2-2) on Saturday as a protest. Previously, they had felt that police searches and identity checks at Wolfsburg Central Station were disproportionate. The action was intended to prevent “clashes between fan groups”, the authority justified the measures.
“Communicate Better”
Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced a consistent review of the police’s actions. “It’s emerging and we’re going to look at it carefully and draw conclusions accordingly, that maybe it shouldn’t have done everything that way and, most importantly, it should have communicated better than it did,” he said on Wednesday.
“It has to be worked through, and we will do it carefully because I have a great interest in ensuring safety in the stadiums,” promised Pistorius. A report is currently being evaluated by the state police headquarters.
Those responsible for both clubs criticized the actions of the police and could not understand the risk assessment. Bremen’s professional football director Clemens Fritz said: “If you take the last few years, it was always quiet. I don’t understand that.” According to Werder President Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, both clubs had “assessed the security situation in advance and rated this game as green”.
