Arsenal probe fan Europa clash chaos

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Arsenal stated on Friday that they would be investigating how so many numbers of away fans managed to gain access to the home sections of the Emirates Stadium for their Cologne clash, as it sparked some ugly scenes that ended up marring the Europa League match totally.

Arsene Wenger, manager for Arsenal, stated that he had, in fact, been ready for the match to be postponed at the grounds in north London, and described playing that game as a gamble.

An Unprecedented Amount of German Club Fans

Visiting fans were handed 3 000 tickets, but roughly 20 000 Cologne supporters are estimated to have showed up, and the match start was delayed by an hour as Cologne fans without tickets tried to enter the grounds.

The fact that there were thousands of Cologne’s supporters in and amongst the Arsenal fans caused a security risk, and five arrests were made.

Arsenal issued a statement that insisted that the safety of their supporters was the main concern and it seemed like even though they had a home ground advantage, more of Colognes fans were in attendance than their own.

Cologne’s Fans Causing Chaos on the Streets

YouTube footage revealed thousands of Cologne’s fans streaming through London’s streets, chanting and setting off flares.

A UEFA probe is also very likely, after it emerged that there are pictures of a small group of Cologne Football Club supporters that were causing problems with stewards inside the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger commented on the Cologne fans’ cleverness, saying that he had no idea how they managed to infiltrate into sectioned-off areas they way they did.

He wondered whether they had done so by using Arsenal membership, or on the internet, and praised the way Arsenal fans had responded, saying that he had seen no evidence of aggravation. Punters who stayed home to watch the game –as well as those who enjoy the online betting NZ must offer – were able to view the match without the threat of violence that hung heavy in the stands.

Cologne Players are Ashamed of Their Fans

Timo Horn, goalkeeper for the Cologne Football Club, was quoted as saying that those who had behaved so badly brought shame upon the club, and Bodo Illgner, the World Cup-winning legend of a goalkeeper for Germany in 1990, joined Horn in criticising the minority of their football club’s supporters who had behaved so abominably.

Arsenal’s statement read that it was disappointing that so many of the home tickets seem to have been bought by the opposing team’s supporters via ticket touts, especially after the club worked so closely with the police, who had to deploy extra members once the trouble started, and with UEFA as well.

The 3 000 tickets that were issued to fans of Cologne was in line with the rules of the competition, but it was evident that many, many more visitors arrived, and this caused considerable congestion and a huge amount of disturbance outside of the stadium before the game began.

After all that, Arsenal went on to win the match, with a final score of 3 – 1, after they initially fell behind thanks to a long-range strike from Cordoba, but they bounced back. Substitute Kolasinac equalised the score before goals by Bellerin and Sanchez sorted out the win.

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