Police arrested five suspects on Wednesday in raids in connection with the fan riots at the European Cup match between 1. FC Köln and OGC Nice.

The fan riots at the European Cup match between 1 FC Cologne and OGC Nice on 8 September now have criminal consequences. In the preliminary proceedings pending at the Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office, the police executed arrest warrants issued by the Cologne District Court against suspects involved in the crime. This was announced by the Cologne police headquarters on Wednesday.

The men, aged 22 to 43, are accused of aggravated breach of the peace and dangerous bodily harm, said Cologne police chief Michael Esser. A total of 16 suspects have been identified so far, all of them already known as “violent sports offenders”, three of them even as intensive offenders.

About 400 officers searched the flats of the 16 suspects on Wednesday. The personal details of all suspects were passed on to 1. FC Köln so that the club could impose stadium bans. Esser stressed that witnesses who had posted observations and videos on a police tip-off portal had made a significant contribution to the investigation. A total of 800 files had been uploaded there, including 600 videos.

1. FC Köln has already been punished by UEFA because of the fan riots. The Rhinelanders have been fined 100,000 euros and will also not be allowed to sell tickets to FC fans in the two upcoming away games in the Conference League. The punishment was for burning pyrotechnics, throwing objects and disturbances in the stands at the match in Nice.

The kick-off of the match had been postponed by almost an hour due to the riots. A total of 32 people were injured. Cologne’s president Werner Wolf spoke of “despicable events on both sides”. (with RS)