FC Schalke 04 has been fined 64,600 euros for the incidents in the stands at the away game at Hansa Rostock. Königsblau has agreed to the sentence.

In sporting terms, the away match at Hansa Rostock in December 2023 went according to plan for FC Schalke 04. Blendi Idrizi and Kenan Karaman scored in a 2:0 victory. However, there were negative incidents in and around the visitors’ block.

In the 39th minute of the match, Schalke fans smashed a pane of glass with a hammer, which is supposed to prevent access to the buffer block between the home and away stands during high-risk matches.

Schalke and Rostock supporters were now facing each other, firing fireworks into the other block. According to the police, one police officer and two stewards were slightly injured and a paramedic in the Schalke block was physically attacked.

This has now been sanctioned by the DFB. FC Schalke 04 must pay 64,600 euros for the misconduct of its fans, as announced by the German Football Association. Königsblau announced that the club agrees with the judgment, which thus becomes legally binding. Schalke will be allowed to use up to 21,500 euros of the fine for security and violence prevention measures.

Schalke: Clear statement after the riots

Schalke reacted with a statement shortly after the incidents. “First of all, we would like to wish the injured a speedy and full recovery,” Schalke wrote at the beginning of their statement. “FC Schalke 04 condemns any kind of violence, there is no place for it in society or in the stadium.”

And further: “The obvious riots in the stadium are unacceptable for the club and will have consequences for these people if they are clearly and unambiguously identified by the authorities. The absolute majority of the fans in the stadium behaved completely peacefully and reacted calmly to the tense situation.” The club is aware of the responsibility of sport and its role model function.

For safety reasons, a special measure was taken after the game: the team bus dropped the professionals off at Rostock airport after the game and a charter plane took them back to the Ruhr region. Normally, the bus would have left empty for Gelsenkirchen.

Due to the defect in a fan bus and because the supporters might have had to stay in Rostock, they now traveled home in the team bus. “This measure was agreed between the club and the fans after consultation with the local police,” wrote Schalke.