The Frankfurt fire brigade has defended itself against allegations by football fans of Eintracht Frankfurt because of a planned choreography before the first leg of the knockout round in the Champions League this Tuesday (21.00 clock in the F.A.Z. live ticker for the Champions League and Prime Video) against SSC Napoli. "The accusation that 'personal reservations against the club are carried out on the backs of the fan scene', we firmly reject," it said in the message on Monday.

So far, the association has not received a request for a choreography. However, before the DFB Cup match against Darmstadt 7 on 98 February, the fire brigade had received knowledge of a call from the fan scene to bring confetti into the stadium for the match against Napoli. Subsequently, a representative of the Frankfurt Ultras was only made aware of the provisions of the Hessian Assembly Venue Directive (use of confetti for which flame retardancy is confirmed by a certificate) during an inspection of the home area.

The fire brigade cannot and will not prohibit choreography at events due to a lack of legal basis. "We are fully committed to the safety of guests, stadium staff and teams, in particular by complying with fire protection and keeping escape and rescue routes clear," it said. "The Frankfurt Fire Department was and is always ready for constructive discussions in order to find solutions for any problems that may arise. Ultimately, the legal requirements do not originate from the Frankfurt fire brigade and must be complied with throughout Hesse."

Stuttgart police contradict Cologne

According to the fire brigade, there was hostility and insults against emergency services after a notice of the flyer of the Ultras in the stadium at the Bundesliga match last Saturday evening against Bremen and in the social networks. "From our point of view, an unacceptable condition, which we condemn in the strongest possible terms," said the fire brigade.

Meanwhile, the Stuttgart police contradict the allegations from the fan scene and those responsible for 1 FC Cologne that the controls of six buses before the Bundesliga match at VfB Stuttgart were a "deliberate action". "The Stuttgart police act according to law and order. We orient our operations on the 'Stuttgart line', according to which we intervene decisively against violence, even before it arises," said police chief Markus Eisenbraun in a statement on Monday.

The day before, Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart had said in an interview with the TV station "Bild": "The plan was to take the boys out from the beginning. In my view, that is not okay either. This is a deliberate action, no one has to explain to me that this is an action to have more security."

The authorities had classified the duel as a high-risk game, after the Stuttgart command is said to have exchanged with the scene-knowledgeable officers of the police headquarters in Cologne. "Our goal was to get potential perpetrators of violence out of anonymity in advance and to confiscate prohibited items in order to prevent incidents. The measures were directed exclusively against parts of the active fan scene and not against Cologne football fans in general," said Eisenbraun, who drew a positive conclusion in the overall view.

On the way to Stuttgart, six Cologne fan buses had been stopped by the police. It had been a use of hazard prevention, police said. However, despite repeated announcements, most of the occupants could not have been persuaded to undergo this control. A bus driver refused to open the door. In the end, the people of Cologne decided to travel home. This decision was taken without interference from the police.