Police begins probe following attack on cameraman at Dortmund game

 

FRANKFURT – Local police said on Sunday they are launching a criminal investigation after a cameraman was hit by a flare during the previous day’s Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Cologne.

A statement said that “various pyrotechnic products were set alight” in the sections allocated for fans of visiting team Cologne during the game Dortmund won 6-1.

It said the cameraman was “slightly injured in the eye due to the development of smoke” and that “The injured person was released during the match after receiving medical treatment on site.”

Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart told broadcasters ARD that a new approach was needed in connection with pyrotechnics in stadiums which are officially outlawed.

“The problem is definitely not being solved the way we are tackling it at the moment, we see that every weekend. So maybe a few clever heads should sit down and think about a different strategy,” Baumgart said.

“The solution can’t be that we always just ban it, but we have to find a solution with the boys. At the moment it always seems that the differences are so sharp that we can’t find a solution.”

German football has seen an up-tick in fan violence of late, with Eintracht Frankfurt fans causing trouble before a Champions League defeat at Napoli in midweek despite being barred from buying tickets.

Around 100 Schalke fans were attacked by Dortmund and Rot-Weiss Essen ultras recently on their way to a game.