Stuttgart denounces violence against fans on Serbian border
Around 500 fans of the German club were detained at the border with Serbia on the eve of the game against Red Star
Stuttgart have criticised the border control procedures applied on Wednesday to fans travelling to Belgrade to watch the Champions League match against Red Star (5-1). According to the German club, the controls were “disproportionate and humanly degrading”.
On the eve of the match, around 500 fans of the Germans were detained at the border with Serbia, with the local authorities justifying the action by the possession of «prohibited articles». This reason would have led to the reinforcement of the controls, according to a statement issued by the club: «According to several supporters of the club, the controls carried out were disproportionate and humanly degrading. There were also reports of physical violence against fans.»
The chairman of the club’s board of directors, Alexander Wehrle, expressed dissatisfaction with the incident, stressing that episodes of this kind cannot happen and warning of the increase in violence directed at football fans: «These situations are unacceptable. We want to play football in a free Europe. Instead, we are increasingly faced with disproportionate measures against fans, previous convictions, intimidation and even, it seems, acts of violence and humiliation.»
Stuttgart also indicated that it may file a formal complaint with UEFA. The European organization has already been informed of the incident and has committed to carrying out an investigation.
