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    How ‘Fascist’ football hooligans turn Rome into ‘Stab City’ with gangland executions & knife wounds ‘as common as pizza’

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    AS JUVENTUS fans travel to their away game against Lazio today, they will do so knowing they are taking their lives into their own hands.So many supporters have been injured, maimed or killed by hooligans backing Rome’s two main Serie A clubs, the Italian capital has become known as ‘Stab City’.Rome has become known as ‘Stab City’ due to knife-wielding Lazios hooligansCredit: AlamyLazio’s Paolo Di Canio salutes supporters to celebrate a winCredit: ReutersLazio has many fascist supporters who chant anti-semitic slogans at rivalsCredit: RexKnife wounds are as commonplace as pizza and rip-off ice cream in the Eternal city, with a “puncicate” – a jab in the buttocks, designed to cause pain but not to kill –the favoured method of attack.  Assaults with weapons occur so regularly that local newspapers no longer bother reporting on them – it is only when other European teams visit that the blade menace becomes clear.As part of our new series, League of Shame, The Sun examines how football hooliganism is seeing an unwelcome resurgence across the continent – and poses a worrying threat to fans ahead of this summer’s European Championships.And Lazio ultras, who until recently operated under the Irriducibili banner – meaning The Indomitable in Italian – are amongst the most notorious in the game.READ MORE FOOTBALL FEATURESInfested with fascists and with links to organised crime, they funded their feverish displays in the Curva Nord section of the Olympic Stadium by dealing drugs and carrying out bank robberies.Author James Montague wrote a book on extreme football fans called 1312: Among the Ultras.As part of his research, he befriended Lazio capos, or leaders, as well as those with arch-rivals Roma.  In a recent interview, he said: “English football culture – especially the hooligan scene of the 1980s and 90s – was incredibly influential on Italian ultra culture.Most read in Football“Roma, Lazio, Atalanta… all credited the English style of chanting, flags and violence as influencing how they approached things. Hooligans were the ultimate symbol of being against the authorities. Like punk. Even today that culture is influential.”He added: “The ultras who are there week in week out love their club, love football, and love their players when they put in the effort on the pitch comparable to the effort the ultras put in off the pitch.Lazio and Roma fans launch flares and fireworks at each other in shocking scenes before Rome derby “It’s a myth that they don’t love football. However, I’d met several capos who had very little interest in football. To them, ultras were a gang. It might as well have been a biker gang or a graffiti crew.”Admiration for English hooligans has not discouraged Lazio ultras from targeting British footie fans – if anything, it has made their attacks worse.Stitches in back of headIn 2019, Conor Weir was one of three Celtic fans set upon while celebrating the Glasgow club’s 2-1 Europa League victory over Lazio in Rome.He returned home with three stitches in the back of his head after masked men jumped out of a car and ran up behind him at around 2.30am.Celtic fan Connor Weir was left with stitches in the back of his headCredit: SuppliedLazio ultra fans in Glasgow with banner reading “Honour to Benito Mussolini’Trouble had been brewing ever since Lazio ultras marched through Glasgow two weeks earlier, making fascist salutes in tribute to deceased Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.Green Brigade fans responded with an anti-fascist protest, erecting a banner that depicted the tyrant hanging upside down and telling ultras to “follow your leader”.Conor, 20, from Bo’ness, West Lothian, said of his Rome visit: “I wasn’t wearing a Celtic strip, just a green t-shirt, but they must have been driving round looking for people to target and I was unlucky enough to get it.“It was cowardly. They weren’t looking for a fight, just to hurt somebody and escape without getting any comeback.“It was over so fast I hardly knew what was happening until I felt a sensation in my back and I felt blood on my top.“The other three people I was with scattered in panic and I tried to run myself but they grabbed me and stabbed me before I could break free. I’m ok and I’m lucky to escape with what I did.”Spurs fan knifed in groinSpurs fan Ashley Mills was knifed in the groin and left with head injuriesIn 2012, Tottenham Hotspur supporters were also fortunate to escape alive when they were surrounded by Lazio ultras before another European game.A group of Spurs fans were drinking at the Drunken Ship pub in Rome when 50 men – their faces covered and wielding knives, baseball bats and iron bars – stormed inside and launched a frenzied assault.Ten people were injured and two Italian supporters were later charged with attempted murder.Ashley Mills, 25, was knifed in a groin artery and suffered head injuries during what was described as a racist attack.I didn’t see the guy who stabbed me – there were too many of themAshley MillsSpurs fanHis life was saved by Alberto di Giovanni, 19, a law student, who had recently done a first aid course.Speaking from his hospital, Essex builder Ashley said: “They came out of nowhere. I didn’t see the guy who stabbed me. There were too many of them.”There was no physical violence inside the stadium, but antisemitic slogans were aimed at Spurs supporters due to the club’s historic Jewish links.Fanatical far right ultras chanted “Juden Tottenham”, using the German word for Jew, and a “Free Palestine” banner was unveiled.Three black players were subjected to monkey chants during the 0-0 draw and one fan said: “We felt in fear all the time.”It was not the first time Jewish supporters had been targeted by Lazio ultras.  In October 2017, thugs covered the Olympic stadium with stickers featuring Anne Frank wearing the shirt of their rivals, AS Roma, alongside an antisemitic message.Facist leader shot deadFabrizio Piscitelli, the leader of Lazio’s Ultra fans was shot in the head and killedPolice investigate the death of the ringleader, known as DiabolikCredit: RexThe Irriducibili’s long-time leader Fabrizio Piscitelli was a self-confessed fascist with links to the Albanian mafiaHe had a criminal record for drugs trafficking – in 2016 police seized £1.7m worth of his assets – and he ran the group like a paramilitary outfit, with members dressed identically in blue jeans and the black jackets once favoured by Mussolini.The group was the first in Italy to erect huge speakers in the terraces so that one ultra could dictate all the chanting and songs. They once ran a merchandising operation that sold their “Original Fans” label at 14 outlets.Italy star Paolo Di Canio, who later played in the Premier League with West Ham, was a well-known Irriducibili ultra. However, he had to keep his involvement secret at the start of his career.Too much blood, too many banning orders, too many arrestsIrriducibili ultrasHe once said: “I kept the club in the dark about my travels. If they had known that I spent my Sundays with the Irriducibili, visiting far-flung corners of Italy, they would probably have kicked me out of the youth academy.”The ultras’ power meant that during the 1990s they were often caught on video lecturing the players like schoolchildren at Lazio’s training ground.  Piscitelli’s reign came to an end when, aged 53, he was taken out in a gangland style hit in Acqueduct park in the Cinecittà area of Rome in 2019.His ultras then disbanded, releasing a statement saying: “Too much blood, too many banning orders, too many arrests. After 33 years, we have decided to disband the group.”But the shameful scenes witnessed before Lazio’s last 16 Champions League match with Bayern Munich earlier this month showed the far-right elements are still blighting the club.  On March 4, hundreds of Lazio fans gathered in the infamous Hofbräuhaus brewery where Adolf Hitler founded the Nazi party in 1920.Viral videos later emerged that showed them chanting and performing fascist salutes.Stabbings on a weekly basisStabbings linked to football in Rome occur on a weekly basis – and often in buttocksCredit: Corbis – GettyPartizan’s supporters celebrate during the Uefa Cup soccer match between Lazio and Partizan at Rome’s Olympic stadiumCredit: AP:Associated PressJohn Foot, professor of modern Italian history at University College London and author of Calcio: A History of Italian Football, says Roma and Lazio ultras are the only groups in Italy that still use weapons.And the situation has got so bad that stabbings linked to football games occur “on a weekly basis” in the Italian capital.  He said: “People are stabbed in Rome fairly often, but it is so common that it does not make the press.“It is worse in Rome, which has a particular problem with violence and stabbing.”Alarmingly, away fans have found they are most often stabbed in the buttocks.Between 2001 and 2009, around a dozen English football supporters were attacked in this manner whilst visiting Rome.READ MORE SUN STORIESFoot added of the Lazio ultras: “Puncicate is their speciality and is mainly about hurting rival fans but not killing them.”They target the buttocks because the victim is not likely to die. These people don’t want to kill and be known as murderers, they want to show they can hurt their rivals and get away with it.”Roma fans riot with police ahead the Italian Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Roma last yearCredit: AP More

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      Meet the machete-wielding football hooligan gangs who chop off each others’ HANDS in blood-soaked ‘Holy War’ derby

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      PREMIER League fans are well-aware of the dangers of going to a game given the number of thugs hell-bent on violence.  But our hooligan problem pales in comparison to the one in Poland, where wearing the wrong colours outside a stadium could lead to you being MURDERED.Football fans in PolandCredit: AlamyUltras in clouds of smoke during a Polish Cup Final in 2016Credit: AlamyA Cracovia supporter during the derby match between Wisla Krakow and Cracovia KrakowCredit: GettyAs part of our new series, League of Shame, The Sun examines how football hooliganism is seeing an unwelcome resurgence across the continent – and poses a worrying threat to fans ahead of this summer’s European Championships.Krakow has been dubbed the ‘City of Knives’ because of its 30-year long history of violence, with supporters having been killed, stabbed and mutilated outside games.The two main hooligan firms there are said to be manned by 100-strong teams of highly trained UFC fighters that refuse to drink alcohol in case it impacts their combat skills.And both gangs, supporting rival teams Wisła Krakow and MKS Cracovia, routinely carry weapons having become deeply entrenched in organised crime, according to experts. READ MORE SPORTS FEATURESThe rivalry reaches boiling point every year during the annual derby match, which has been dubbed the ‘Holy War’ as the clashes are so extreme. Professor Radoslaw Kossakowski has conducted a number of studies on football hooliganism in Poland. He told The Sun: “Krakow is definitely the most dangerous city in Poland for football fans. “If you are a normal supporter you shouldn’t – and this is really important for your safety – show your club colours, your scarf or T-shirt. Most read in Football”That could be really dangerous if you go to the wrong place in the city.“Krakow has become an island of barbarians and gangster-style hooligans. People are killed and murdered.”Fans killed and hands chopped offPub-drinking England fans are most at risk at Euros from martial arts trained football ultrasViolence took place during a match between Wisla Krakow vs CracoviaCredit: AlamyDominik Luty reportedly chopped off a rival supporter’s handCredit: SuppliedWe can reveal that Polish hooligans are now considered to be among the most violent in the world – up there with Russian ultras and those supporting clubs in Latin America, where life is notoriously cheap.  Wisla fans are nicknamed “dogs” by their rivals as the club was previously run by the hated communist police for 40 years.Cracovia, meanwhile, are known as Pasy (Stripes) or Jews because of their supposed Jewish roots, which leads to antisemitic chants being sung by far-right rivals during games.The depth of hatred between the two is bottomless. So there was little surprise when both refused to sign the 2004 ‘Poznan Pact’ which banned the use of weapons.  Krakow has become an island of barbarians and gangster-style hooligans. People are killed and murderedProfessor Radoslaw Kossakowski Shocking incidents include eight fans being killed in the build-up to the 100-year anniversary match between Wisla and MKS Cracovia in 2006.Water cannons, riot vans, choppers, dogs, and nearly 1,000 cops were on hand during the game.In 2011, members of Wisła’s ultras ‘The Sharks’ were found guilty of brutally murdering a member of a Cracovia hooligan group called ‘The Jude Gang.’Four years later, Wisla fan Dominik Luty, 22, was reported to have chopped off a rival Cracovia fan’s hand with a machete when they were both out drinking in the city.Horrified passer-by Jakub Nowak, 34, said: “I came round the corner and saw this man covered in blood. “He was unconscious and had wounds to his legs and his hand was lying a few centimetres away.”Drugs and money launderingPawel Michalsk – who once threw a knife at a football player – led a Wisla firmCredit: PoliceDino Baggio was thrown a knife at by a rival supporterCredit: AlamyDino Baggio was almost hit by the blade mid-gameCredit: YouTubeViolence erupted between fans during a Wisla Krakow versus Cracovia matchCredit: AlamyIt is the strong links with organised crime that make Polish footie thugs so much more sinister than those in the UK.Incredibly, a Wisla firm called ‘The Sharks’ once became so powerful they effectively took over the club.Operating as the SKWK fan group, they were led by 39-year-old hooligan Pawel Michalsk, who was nicknamed ‘Teddy Bear’ and was once convicted of throwing a knife at Italian star Dino Baggio’s head during a UEFA Cup tie in 1998.From 2016, the firm took up key positions on Wisla’s board as they began using the club as a base for criminal activities, laundering drug money and siphoning off legitimate funds through fake supply contracts.Players and staff were abused and intimidated and even the biggest stars went months without being paid. Attacks were organised on rival fans, with flares handed out by club bosses in the stadium toilets.Wisla’s gym was used to train hooligans in street fighting, according to reports.By the time the gang’s leaders were arrested and a new, legitimate board installed in 2019, a debt of £7.95m – or 40m zloty – had been run up, putting the club’s future at risk.Machete attackA supporter holds a flare during the Polish PKO Ekstraklasa League match between Legia Warszawa and Warta PoznanCredit: SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettA huge police crackdown followed and fighting is much less common at Polish stadiums today. Yet hooligans continue to stage organised clashes in the countryside and in abandoned warehouses.In June 2020, a Cracovia supporter was hospitalised following a machete attack by Wisła fans.The following year, a group of young Wisla hooligans was caught on video attacking a more established firm on a housing estate after accusing them of co-operating with the police.Professor Kossakowski added: “Paradoxically, stadiums in Poland are really safe. I came round the corner and saw this man covered in blood. He was unconscious and had wounds to his legs and his hand was lying a few centimetres awayJakub Nowak”We have very restrictive laws dedicated to football so if you use pyrotechnics or do something illegal you are automatically banned – so there are no fights at the stadiums now.“But they do fight in the woods and abandoned places, sometimes on the street.”Szymon Jadczak, an investigative journalist that made a TVN documentary on Krakow’s gangster hooligans, warned: “People are still afraid. The bandits have not disappeared.“You can still see their influence in the club and the city. You can still buy anti-Semitic Sharks paraphernalia at the club store!”Poland’s hooligan problem started with the fall of communism in 1989. The previous regime ruled with an iron grip that kept football’s more thuggish elements under lock and key. Deadly weapons snuck inA sound cannon – a weapon used by Polish police in their battle against brawling football hooligansCredit: London Media PressSome hardcore football fans attended the Independence Day march in Warsaw, where some participants calshed with riot policeCredit: GettyBut the switch to a capitalist system led to a breakdown of law and order that the hooligan firms took full advantage of. By the 1990s, the terraces had become a dangerous place for ordinary fans.It was common for deadly weapons to be snuck into stadiums and when fights and rioting broke out, the police would respond with brutal force.Professor Przemysław Piotrowski is from Krakow but insisted “it is better not to publish” which team he supports.He said: “I’ve been inside the crowd when policemen shot at us with rubber bullets.I’ve been inside the crowd when policemen shot at us with rubber bulletsProfessor Przemysław Piotrowski“In the 1990s, it was easy for the fans to bring wooden sticks and other potential weapons in the stadium. When they started to clash, the police would try to stop them.“There are games when the tension is very high and in Krakow with the rivalry between the two teams it can be dangerous.“Outside the stadiums there are organised clashes that can be very violent. It’s hard to say how often they happen.“Krakow is known as the place where deadly weapons are used and there have been a few deaths.“Because of their association with the old communist party, there is a tradition of not speaking to the police in Poland. “So even when a person has lost their arm and is in hospital, he will say he fell down the stairs.”The Sun reached out to Wisła Krakow and MKS Cracovia for comment. A spokesperson for Wisła Krakow said: “The dynamics within the club have undergone substantial changes since 2019, subsequent to the pivotal “rescue operation” orchestrated by Jakub Błaszczykowski – a distinguished figure in the club and national team, in his capacity as the owner, alongside Jarosław Królewski, who assumes the roles of the majority shareholder and president of Wisła Kraków.”The sustained operation of Wisła Kraków would be unfeasible without the significant dedication exhibited by its supporters, who have been instrumental in ensuring the club’s survival. “Currently, they continue to offer their support, notably through initiatives like the Socios association.”The management of the club is in the hands of esteemed individuals who are committed to preserving Wisła as an emblematic football brand. “Our operations are founded on principles of transparency and wholesome support and we play a significant role in the community by presenting positive exemplars, including to our supporters.”Our stadium has become a welcoming venue for families, individuals with disabilities, and the youth, many of whom aspire to be future Wisła Kraków players. READ MORE SUN STORIES”Wisła Kraków stands as a paragon of fair play and healthy support, categorically distancing itself from any conduct that diverges from its ethical guidelines. “Legal actions are currently in progress against individuals whose past action placed the club in a dire predicament.” More

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      Fears football hooligan ‘ultras’ who arrange brawls on dark web will spark chaos at Euros & target England fans in pubs

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      FOOTBALL fans heading to Germany for Euro 24 this summer face a resurgence in far right neo-Nazi hooligans who have been overwhelming the police across Europe.And the worst offenders come from the city with the country’s highest number of billionaires – one typically more associated with bankers than brawlers.An Eintracht Frankfurt pitch invader following a recent West Ham matchCredit: ReutersWest Ham fans were attacked in a bar in FrankfurtCredit: Twitter / @Patrick_SGE_Eintracht Frankfurt’s fans have developed such a reputation for violence that they were banned from Napoli’s stadium last year for a Champions League match.But that didn’t stop them causing mayhem in the Italian city, with their supporters throwing objects, smoke bombs and flares at riot squads, and setting fire to a police car.As part of a new series, League of Shame, The Sun examines how football hooliganism is seeing an unwelcome resurgence across the continent – and poses a worrying threat to fans ahead of this summer’s European Championships.Eintracht Frankfurt’s notorious ultras have already caused violence in London when the team played West Ham. They also brawled in Marseille in France and threw flares at Rangers fans in Seville, Spain.Read More in The SunTheir toughest troublemakers – Brigade Nassau – are said to be made up of martial artists, boxers and bouncers.Alarmingly for England fans heading over to support Gareth Southgate’s men in June, their second match is in Frankfurt.And it’s not in the stadiums where supporters are most at risk. Frankfurt yobs like to target bars where opposition supporters are drinking, get into fights at service stations and organise brawls via the dark net.If there are any disturbances the German police will not take a softly, softly approach. They use pepper spray, tear gas and batons on crowds, and have been known to charge at them on horseback.Most read in FootballFlares in the crowd during a clash between Hertha BSC Berlin and SG Dynamo DresdenCredit: Rex FeaturesEintracht Frankfurt’s toughest troublemakers – Brigade Nassau – are said to be made up of martial artists, boxers and bouncersCredit: Youtube/ KING OF THE STREETSEintracht Frankfurt fan Carsten Germann, who writes about the beautiful game in Germany, tells The Sun: “I think very many English fans will travel to Germany for the summer and it might be that there are some troubles prepared.”History of violenceCarsten, 51, knows all too well how quickly cheers can turn to terror in a large crowd.Moment Eintracht thug takes chair to the face as dashcam footage shows ultras ambush Rangers fans in SevilleHe has been an Eintracht Frankfurt fan for over four decades and was twice caught up in violence.Once, in 2002, the hooligans connected to the team tried to beat up supporters of their local rivals Mainz as they travelled to the ground.On another occasion in 1993, while watching Cologne versus Schalke 04 with his father, Carsten feared being trampled to death by police horses.He says: “We were lucky not to get injured or killed within that crowd.”Carsten believes police have done a good job of weeding out troublemakers by infiltrating hooligan gangs and getting intel about potential flare-ups.But there is evidence that the bad old days of the 1980s and 1990s, when hooliganism swept across Europe, are returning.Return of the yobsA police car was set on fire by rioting Eintracht Frankfurt fans in NaplesAn Eintracht Frankfurt yob kicks a bus in NaplesIn November there were around 200 injuries following clashes between the police and Eintracht Frankfurt fans outside the team’s Waldstadion.Stewards and police faced a hail of flares, bottles and metal barriers, with the police alleging that Brigade Nassau were involved.A couple of months earlier pepper spray was used on visiting Cologne fans in the away end at Waldstadion.In 2022, when West Ham played Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, the Hammers supporters were attacked two nights in a row, with hooligans in face masks ambushing a pub packed with fans from London.Most of the troubles don’t take part in the stadiums, they take part in pubs, in highway stations, in parks, in open places in the city centre, you can hardly prevent that. They have appointments made via the dark net for fightsCarsten GermannIt was reported that the ultras searched the centre of the wealthy city for Englishmen in colours to attack.They also staged a mass pitch invasion after defeating West Ham and caused more trouble in Seville ahead of winning the Europa League that year.Carsten says: “There was some trouble in the second leg with West Ham in pubs, there were beatings up, smaller skirmishes in Frankfurt pubs.“Most of the troubles don’t take part in the stadiums, they take part in pubs, in highway stations, in parks, in open places in the city centre, you can hardly prevent that.“They have appointments made via the dark net for fights.”’Nazi links’One member of Brigade Nassau is a bare knuckle streetfighter called Goscha 1996, who can be seen laying into an opponent after flooring him in a warehouseCredit: Youtube/ KING OF THE STREETSWhen Eintracht Frankfurt played in Marseille, a fan performed a Nazi salute and UEFA charged the club with racist behaviour.But Brigade Nassau, who wear black T-shirts, deny being a far right organisation.There are over 500 Frankfurt Ultras, an organisation formed in 1997, taking in a notorious grouping called Inferno Bad Schwalbach. One member of Brigade Nassau is a bare knuckle streetfighter called Goscha 1996, who can be seen laying into an opponent after flooring him in a warehouse.Goscha has recently taken to professional MMA bouts in places as far away as Newcastle in England.EINTRACHT FRANKFURT’S HALL OF SHAMEThe German side’s qualification for the Europa League in 2021-22 gave their hooligans the opportunity to menace several countries.
      In the group stages 100 fans were arrested in Antwerp in Belgium for pelting the police and attacking locals in a bar.
      They went even further against West Ham, first attacking the supporters of the London side in Seville, even though they weren’t playing each other.
      The Frankfurt supporters were reported to have descended on an Irish bar in March 2022, having spotted the Hammers fans.
      Images posted on social media showed them throwing poles and glass bottles at the supporters from England. Frankfurt’s yobs had already clashed with police in nearby Betis.
      Two months later when West Ham played in Frankfurt in the second leg of the semi-final, one of their supporters ended up in hospital following an attack by 15-20 men in face masks in a bar.
      Supporters from Glasgow side Rangers were on the receiving end of similar treatment ahead of the final in Seville in May 2022. 
      Clips show them hurling chairs at Scottish fans drinking in a bar and fighting running battles in the streets.

      Most ultras don’t wish to be labelled hooligans. Instead they claim to just want to use flares, fly flags, march together and show their support for the team.One, named Sascha, claimed the Ultras draw young fans away from violence.He commented: “In the past, there were only two options as a young fan in the stadium. You could either go to the G-Block or join the hooligans. “Young people today can also join the Ultras, which is what they do. Every minute you spend working on choreography ideas is also a minute in which you don’t think about violence.”He claimed that there were less hooligans these days, but heavy handed policing led to trouble.Carsten says: “Eintracht Frankfurt is a very emotional club and it is difficult for the clubs to prevent the violence.”Lower league loutsDynamo Dresden fans clashed with police and Turkgucu Munich fans in 2021Credit: AlamyPolice break up fight between Dynamo Dresden and St Pauli fansCredit: AlamyDynamo fans set off pyrotechnics behind Dresden goalkeeper Kevin BrollCredit: AlamyThey are certainly not the only side in Germany currently wrestling with dangerous elements.In November riot police stormed into an altercation at a St Pauli game against Hannover 96, and earlier in the season police accidentally fired a live round into an empty supporter’s coach in Augsburg.Schalke 04, a big club currently in the second tier of the Bundesliga, can’t shake off their hooligans.When they played Hansa Rostock in December, the match was held up for half an hour due to Schalke yobs smashing the barrier separating opposing fans.There were also injuries following violence involving Schalke fans in 2018, 2019 and 2022.Street battlesOften it is the teams in the lower leagues that experience the worst trouble.Over in the east of the country, Dynamo Dresden and BFC Dynamo Berlin have a large ultra section that create a heady atmosphere at matches.Generally they are peaceful, but there have been street battles in the past decade.GERMAN HOOLIGANS AWAYLIKE Britain, Germany has been infected by football hooliganism since the 1980s – but it was perhaps worse in the 1990s.
      One of the most shocking incidents was during the 1998 World Cup in France, when a policeman was left with permanent brain damage following an attack by German louts.
      Two years later at the Euro 2000 tournament in Belgium, an English fan was stabbed as compatriots battled in the streets with German ones.
      It seemed to have been stamped out by intelligence led policing, but in the past few years it’s flared up again.
      In 2017 the kick-off at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London had to be delayed due to trouble caused by visiting fans from the German side Cologne.

      In 2016, Dynamo Dresden fans clashed with local rivals RB Leipzig, going so far as to hurl a severed bull’s head at the opposition.At a 2021 clash between Dynamo Berlin and FC Lokomotive Leipzig, 20 people were injured – and three years earlier there was a huge brawl when they took on FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin.Both teams had links with the Communist secret police, known as the Stasi, when they were part of East Germany.These days they are more likely to have Nazi associations, partly due to the rise of far right parties such as Alternative for Germany. One club in the east of the country that has been shamed by its Nazi sympathies is fourth tier side Chemnitzer FC.READ MORE SUN STORIESIn 2019 the CEO resigned after fans were allowed to hold a tribute to a far right hooligan called Thomas Haller, and the club ditched their captain Daniel Frahn after he held up a T-shirt bearing the message “support your local hools”.With players displaying that attitude the German game clearly has some work to do.A mass pitch invasion by Eintracht Frankfurt fans following Europa League winCredit: AFPMasked Dynamo Dresden fans let off flaresCredit: EPA More