Before the kick-off of the Schalke 04 match against SC Freiburg, the S04 fans came up with a special choreography. But they apparently violated agreements.

Before the kick-off of the Bundesliga match Schalke 04 against SC Freiburg, a huge Schalke jersey made of plastic foil was presented in front of the Nordkurve. By igniting pyrotechnics, the shirt then changed colour – white became blue.

Problem number one: the blue smoke was very slow to dissipate, so the game had to be interrupted for a short time.

Problem number two: The choreo was announced in advance – but apparently there was no mention of burning the smoke pots.

Therefore, the Gelsenkirchen fire brigade and police announced in a press release after the final whistle: “As with every match, there was an obligatory safety meeting between the club’s officials, the fire brigade and the police beforehand. In this meeting, the club notified the police and the fire brigade that the Ultras Gelsenkirchen would be carrying out a choreography. Both the fire brigade and the police agreed to this in the form presented. However, contrary to what had been agreed, the fans burned numerous pots of smoke, among other things. As a result, both spectators and the teams of both clubs were impaired.”

Consequence: The police initiated criminal proceedings for the burning of pyrotechnics and in the near future there will hardly be a chance for the Schalke fans to carry out such a choreography again. The statement says: “As the police and fire brigade see this act as a loss of confidence, they agreed during the match that they would not agree to the club’s security concept until further notice as soon as choreographies are announced.

“The games would then have to be held without a valid security concept,” reports Peter Both, Senior Police Director of the Gelsenkirchen Police Department.