Riots broke out following Wuppertaler SV’s loss to FC Büderich in the Lower Rhine Cup. Sports Director Thomas Richter commented on the matter once again.
The quarterfinal in the Lower Rhine Cup was a disaster for Wuppertaler SV. Not only were they eliminated by FC Büderich following a late 0-1 loss, but some WSV fans in attendance rioted after the game and clashed with the police.
David Burkhardt, press spokesperson for the city of Meerbusch, provided the Wuppertaler Rundschau with an assessment of the damage. “44 grandstand seats were kicked in; these must be ordered at a cost of 1,672 euros. The police operation damaged a section of the turf, which must be repaired at a cost of approximately 200 euros.”
Added to this are the costs of dismantling the old seats and installing the new ones, estimated at 484 euros, as well as two shattered windows on the side of the grandstand. These are made of safety glass, and the costs for these are still being determined—as are the costs for a torn-down toilet tank in the men’s restroom.
Regarding the costs, discussions are ongoing with the club officials of Wuppertaler SV. The club has posted another video on YouTube in which Sports Director Thomas Richter commented on the events.
“That was a truly dark day for us, in every respect—both in terms of the game and what happened afterward. The damage to our reputation is already enormous. Through the press and social media, news of such incidents spreads incredibly quickly. We have already issued a statement. It is very important to us to thoroughly address the matter,” Richter emphasized once again, but also noted: “We do not want to jump to conclusions.”
Overall, however, the sporting director made it clear once again that WSV would not tolerate such behavior. “The behavior went against the club’s values. We will continue to address this in the coming days and weeks.”
Nevertheless, Richter highlighted the good cooperation with the Wuppertal fan community, which is not expected to change. “We have engaged in constructive dialogue with the fan project in the past. I don’t want to reach a point where we have to break that off. It wasn’t all the fans. I was there and tried to de-escalate the situation. We have to make that distinction. I am very far from lumping all Wuppertal fans together.”
On the sporting front, the action continues on Saturday (November 22, RS live ticker) against Fortuna Düsseldorf’s U23 team. Kickoff at the Stadion am Zoo is at 2 p.m.