Before the Westphalia derby between Preußen Münster and Arminia Bielefeld, a police operation caused trouble. This is what fan support and fan communities say.

The fans of Preußen Münster could actually be in high spirits. In the 3rd division, Arminia Bielefeld was defeated 2-1 in the Westphalia derby – for the first time since 2014. However, a police operation before the game made headlines.

What happened? While the game was already in progress, a large part of the black-and-white-green supporters were still waiting outside the stadium gates. “The trigger was a last-minute decision by the police to place a presence in the materials control area for the active fan scene,” the club said after the game.

One day later, the Fanhilfe Münster and Fangemeinschaft fan organizations also issued a joint statement, in which they described the “completely out-of-control admission situation at the stadium entrance”. Their account is similar to that of the club.

According to the fan statement, a “special police presence in the area of the material control”, which is described as “arbitrary”, delayed the admission process to such an extent that the mood of the spectators moving up became increasingly hectic.

The police contributed to the chaos with their behavior, blocked entrances, indiscriminately surrounded Prussia fans “only to let them pass again a little later.” In addition, tickets were checked and personal data was recorded without cause.

In the confusing situation, “various fans of Preußen Münster from all parts of the stadium were pushed and threatened by the police”. Representatives of Preußen Münster, the fan scene, FANport and the fan support service had desperately tried to defuse the situation. According to the statement, this was rejected by the head of the operation.

The fan representatives demand that the club make use of its own domiciliary rights and not have any police in the stadium entrance area. The club itself had already announced its desire for consequences and an internal review “in order to find joint and constructive solutions for the upcoming home games.”

According to the club, the situation could have been avoided if everyone had worked together and communicated with each other as equals. This will be necessary, especially in view of the upcoming weekend. Then Rot-Weiss Essen will be the guests (Sunday, January 28, 1:30 p.m.). This is an already explosive encounter in which a similar situation should not be repeated.