Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, I Saturday, June 3, 2023
BERLIN – German second-division side Arminia Bielefeld have apologized for the behaviour of their fans in the play-off game at third-division Wehen Wiesbaden on Friday.
Bielefeld fans caused a 20-minute interruption during the 4-0 defeat by repeatedly firing pyrotechnics and trying to storm onto the pitch.
“We apologize to our hosts. This behaviour discredits fair play and it doesn’t fit with our understanding of how we want to treat each other in society and in football,” Bielefeld said in a statement on Saturday.
The club called the fans’ behaviour an “unacceptable transgression” and distanced themselves from “any form of violence.”
Bielefeld – in the Bundesliga as recently as last year – finished the second division in 16th, setting up a play-off game against Wiesbaden to stay in the second tier.
Their mission, however, got much more difficult after the 4-0 defeat ahead of the second leg on Tuesday.
