During FC Bayern’s away game at Schalke, a large portion of the Munich team’s active fan base was not present at the stadium. The reason for this lies in the incidents that occurred before kickoff. A statement from the Gelsenkirchen police now provides further details on the events.
Even before the 0-0 draw between Schalke 04 and FC Bayern, the fans were already making headlines.
The police reported that on Saturday afternoon, organized groups of FC Bayern and FC Schalke fans had clashed in a parking lot on Ötte-Tibulsky-Weg. According to the officers, the Bayern supporters “immediately sought confrontation with the home fans.”
The police intervened and, according to their own statements, were able to prevent a major escalation. A Bayern fan and a police officer sustained minor injuries during the altercation.
About 500 Bayern fans were barred from the stadium
The consequences for the Munich fans were clearly felt afterward. A group of several hundred Bayern fans was denied entry to the Veltins-Arena. Units of the riot police initially detained the fans to record their personal information.
In total, the police issued expulsion orders to about 500 Bayern fans before the game. As a result, the active fan base was missing from the visitors’ section—ironically, during Bayern’s first appearance at Schalke in three years.
The Ultras responded by boycotting the match. This had a noticeable impact inside the stadium as well: there were hardly any fence banners or other banners in sight, and there were only a few organized chants and displays of support.
For the Munich fan scene, this is already the second major controversy in a short period of time. There had already been trouble over a planned choreography during the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart. At that time, the active fan scene was not allowed to carry out its planned display as intended.