Hooligan alert, the usual nightmare that returnedto. Anyone who thinks they are just a memory of the past is very wrong: they never left, they just changed their faces, habits, names. But they continue to be scary. And damage. The terrorism alarm, which now accompanies our life and therefore every demonstration, sporting or otherwise, was not enough. The alarm over the arrival of the most violent ultras, especially those from Eastern Europe, now the most dangerous, is very high. And now Germany is afraid.
Because in 2021 everything went (more or less) smoothly, also due to the restrictions for Covid, now we are back to the levels of the European Championship 2016, the last one before the pandemic, the last one played in a single country. Everyday 22 thousand agents will be deployed in Germany. T-shirts with the words “Euro 2024, Festival of Violence” are on sale on the Internet, demonstrating that the violent are preparing to take action.
There is a dossier circulating among police forces across Europe. And which identifies five matches with a very high risk of accidents, in the group stage alone. The first will be played tonight in Gelsenkirchen, between Serbia and England, a real dress rehearsal. The arrival of 40 thousand English fans is expected. Far fewer Serbs, but here the numbers count for little. Also because the main problems are caused by those who remain outside, without a ticket. “Controlling them around the city is much more difficult, often impossible,” admits an officer on duty outside Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.
Political issues
As usual, there is much more at stake than football. The underlying issue is mainly political. The reference is to the tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, given that the most violent part of Serbian support is aligned with Putin’s positions. Furthermore, it marks the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of Belgrade, in which the United Kingdom played a key role.
Berlin’s secret services have reported the arrival of 500 Serbs ready for battle and for this reason the government has deployed 1300 more agents. The most violent are the Grobari («gravediggers») of Partizan and the Delije («Heroes») of Red Star. “We are ready to face every imaginable danger,” however, assured the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser.
The other four matches in the dossier are Poland-Holland which will be played today in Hamburg, Türkiye-Georgia on the 18th in Dortmund, Germany-Hungary on the 19th in Stuttgart e Croatia-Albania always on the 19th in Hamburg. Stopping the violent ones will perhaps be the hardest game.
