“Naked checks” upon entry?
Police and fan support speak out after boycott at Rhine derby
The Bundesliga game between Leverkusen and Köln was boycotted by fans of both clubs. The police describe new details about the controls – fan support contradicts it.
After the fan boycott at the Rhine derby between Bayer Leverkusen and 1. FC Cologne, the Cologne police have clarified the process of the controls from their point of view. A police spokesman said that a man being checked had taken off his pants on his own. On Saturday, in response to a DPA request, the police stated that, contrary to statements from fan circles to the contrary, there had been no “nudity checks”.
The Fanhilfe Köln wrote on X on Saturday: “After nude checks took place, the active fan scene decided to leave the stadium closed.” In protest against the police action, around 500 people from the active Cologne fan scene left before kick-off. Fan Support contradicted the police’s account on Sunday, citing an affected fan with whom they were in contact.
Fanhilfe speaks of “harassment of football fans”
“If a person is asked to take off all clothing and only remain in underwear as part of a police check, and if the private area is then looked at, then – regardless of the official name – it is generally understood to be a naked check,” said the fan aid statement. The measure is a “harassment of football fans”.
A police statement on Sunday said a man was checked in the guest area for attempting to enter without a valid ticket. During a cursory search for identification documents, the 24-year-old found suspicious objects in his trouser pocket. After being asked to take them out, the man took off his pants and handed the officers a mouth guard and two bandages that he had carried in his underpants.
Another person was also handed over to the police by the Bayer Leverkusen security service, which is responsible for entry controls into the stadium, because of an attempt to enter without a ticket. The person was searched superficially and a balaclava was found. Charges were filed against both people for fraudulently obtaining benefits.
After 500 people from the active Cologne fan scene had left, the Bayer Ultras also left the arena in the first half. According to the Leverkusen team, the regular entry controls in the guest area were “quiet and without incident”.
DPA
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