It was to be a back-to-school match between Nice and Cologne for the Europa League Conference on the Promenade des Anglais. The match, which was supposed to start at 6:45 p.m., finally started at 7:40 p.m. Blame it on furious German supporters who ransacked part of Nice. On the stroke of 6 p.m., violent clashes broke out inside the Allianz Riviera, the Nice stadium. The Germans tried to join the Niçois to fight it out. Pushed, a supporter fell from a stand from a height of 5m and was seriously injured. He was taken care of by firefighters at the scene. He was in “absolute emergency” for an hour but apparently regained consciousness during the evening. According to the first information that reached us, the supporter was German. But after verification, his nationality is no longer so obvious. In some videos, the falling man is wearing a blue-white-red cap and he is being pushed around by Cologne supporters dressed in red. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd. According to the latest information, the provisional toll of the clashes would be nine injured supporters, including two in serious condition. A stab wound is suspected.
According to our information, the police expressed their concern long before the fans entered the stadium. The match was at risk and according to them the security forces were too weak. “The police, seen from inside the stadium, took a long time to arrive. The supporters came out of the bend to go to the presidential stand. The Nice supporters tried to respond to the assault by trying to make contact from the other stand, ”reports a witness.
Already in the middle of the afternoon, Cologne supporters ransacked the official store of OGC Nice, disrupted road traffic and forced the security forces to close the Promenade des Anglais. Facts that angered the mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi. “I deplore the uncivil and scandalous behavior of Cologne supporters and the lack of respect for the city which welcomes them in a generous and fraternal way. We will send the invoices related to the damage and the cleaning of public spaces to the Cologne club, ”he explained.