After the Nice riots: 18 months in prison for a football fan

The first verdict of hooliganism was made by alleged football fans of 1. FC Köln in a Conference League match against Nice. A 36-year-old man from Lindlar was jailed for one year and six months.

It was supposed to be a festival of football, but the riots on 8 September 2022 at the “Nice-Stadium” overshadowed the 1. FC Köln away match in this competition. Because, among other things, there are scenes of hunting between the fans of the two teams in the stands of the stadium, the match kicks off at a later time. The events made headlines across Europe.

At the start of the hearing, the 36-year-old admitted the allegations. There were punches and kicks against supporters of the other team. At the same time, he underestimated what was happening. He wasn’t going to hit at all. But when there was information about the attacks on Nice fans by the Nice fans, he decided to “move on”.

The criminal “Alt-Hool”

The 36-year-old accused is the so-called “substitute” at the scene. He was registered for several violent offenses related to football club matches in 2008. Because of his criminal record, he has been in custody since the fall of last year. In total, the court lists seven entries at the hearing. It concerns the acts committed by the accused in connection with football matches. Breach of the peace in Kaiserslautern, use of fireworks in Nuremberg, conviction by the Berlin Tiergarten court, assaults in a sports bar during the Germany v Turkey match.

Video and film recordings clearly showed the brutal attacks on opponents’ fans at Nice Stadium before the Conference League match. The 36-year-old was one of the few unmasked. He was wearing a black hat.

“The reputation of the football club and the city of Cologne is damaged”

The prosecutor in this case said in his argument that there was no justification for the behavior of the accused. There were thousands of peaceful FC fans who refused to be provoked. The defendants and others rioted in France of all places, where in 1998 a French police officer was so badly injured by alleged German fans that he sustained permanent damage.

Before the match in Nice, there were brutal attacks on football club fans in front of the stadium. Then a group of 50 to 80 violent criminals from the football club camp retaliated in the stadium. They were backed by football chaos from Paris and Dortmund. So far, the Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office has identified at least 16 suspects.

Another trial is scheduled for next week. On January 31, two men have to appear in the District Court in Cologne because of the riots in Nice.

reported about it WDR On January 25, 2023 also on radio on WDR2 and on TV local time from Cologne.