POLICE have issued safety warnings and restrictions to Eintracht Frankfurt visiting Marseille for tomorrow’s Champions League tie.
Supporters of the German club have been told there is a partial ban on alcohol sales and that they are forbidden from travelling on their own ahead of the match at the Stade Velodrome.
French authorities have been moved to act after violent crowd fights marred a game between Nice and Cologne in the Europa Conference League four days ago.
The arrival of thousands of Frankfurt supporters in the south of France has raised concerns or similar scenes.
The Bundesliga side have been allocated 3,300 seats but it is thought as many as 5,000 additional fans without tickets – including some hardcore ultras – could make the trip.
Frankfurt and Rangers fans were filmed throwing chairs at each other and fighting ahead of their Europa League final in Seville in May.
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And the German club’s ultras brandished bottles and wooden sticks as weapons during similar ugly clashes with West Ham supporters in Seville in March.
To mitigate the risk of more trouble at tomorrow’s Group D match, regional police said the sale of alcohol will be banned in several local districts in the seven hours leading up to kick-off.
And they have said that only the Frankfurt fans traveling in official buses placed under police escort will be allowed to access the ground and its surroundings.
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Frankfurt fans are also prohibited from walking around in their club’s shirts, scarves and colours or signing club songs in four designated districts from midday today until 2am on tomorrow.
Visitors have also been told to ensure they have valid tickets and to avoid purchasing tickets from ‘non-officially authorized third-party providers or online platforms’.
Frankfurt started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 home defeat to Sporting Lisbon last week, while Marseille lost 2-0 at Spurs.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
