Dynamo Dresden earned a point against FC Schalke 04. However, the Ultras were unable to watch the entire 90 minutes.

Dynamo Dresden earned an important point in the relegation battle with a 2-2 (0-0) draw at FC Schalke 04 in the Schalker Arena. This was then celebrated in style with the nearly 6,000 fans who had traveled with the team.

To be precise, 5,700 supporters of the club traveled from the city on the Elbe to Gelsenkirchen. However, not all fans were already in the stadium by kickoff at 1:00 p.m.

The Ultras-Dynamo didn’t arrive at the sold-out VELTINS-Arena—which was packed with 61,624 spectators—until more than a quarter of an hour after kickoff. Until then, it had been noticeably quieter in the visitors’ section. Once they arrived, the support returned to its usual level. But what was the reason?

The Gelsenkirchen police had classified the match as high-risk and deployed several hundred officers. The area in front of the Dresden entrance looked like a high-security wing. Law enforcement had previously advised fans to arrive early, as there would be strict entry checks. However, since many fans—as well as the team bus—were stuck in traffic before the game and didn’t arrive in Gelsenkirchen until shortly before kickoff, they were unable to make it into the stadium in time for the start of the match, a club spokesperson said.

In the second half, the Ultras then unfurled a banner accusing the police of distorting the facts and making false statements: “Every statement is as false as your pictures—Chat GDP—Logout Police,” the fans wrote.

On Saturday, however, the police’s strategy appeared to have worked perfectly. There were apparently no major disturbances in and around the arena, and no pyrotechnics were set off for the entire 90 minutes. That’s not something to be taken for granted these days.

In the end, the fans headed home to Dresden satisfied with the 2-2 draw.