Tumultuous scenes, a storm and police officers with horses on the lawn overshadowed 1. FC Kaiserslautern's last-minute advance in the first round of the DFB Cup at SV Waldhof Mannheim. After extra time, FCK won 1-0. Ibrahim Kanaté scored the decisive goal for the second division soccer team in the 120th minute, a few moments before a possible penalty shootout.
Shortly after the final whistle of the regular season, police forces and mounted police officers had to intervene to bring the situation in the explosive southwest derby back under control. After the players formed a pack, FCK fans threw fireworks onto the field. As “Bild” reports, Kaiserslautern’s captain Marlon Ritter clashed with several Mannheim players.
At times the continuation of the game was in jeopardy. Referee Robert Schröder whistled for extra time about 20 minutes late.
The clubs face high penalties
Lautern's managing director Thomas Hengen found clear words. “It's a derby, the emotions are high, but something like that shouldn't get out of hand. That harms us, that harms everyone, that harms football,” said the ex-professional on Sky. For him, the intervention of the police and the careful actions of the referee team were crucial to ensuring that the game was not stopped. But it was a fair derby on the pitch.
Both clubs now face severe penalties from the German Football Association (DFB). “The special report will be correspondingly long,” said referee Schröder on Sky.
Waldhof managing director Gerhard Zuber could also have imagined a demolition. “If rockets are fired into the family block, the limit has been exceeded. At some point you have to be consistent and maybe stop playing.”
Enmity has a tradition
The two fan camps have been enemies since the early 1980s and once again fought a heated duel in the stands that evening. Just a few minutes after the game began, referee Schröder interrupted the game. The initial reason was pyrotechnics from the guests' block.
The home fans threw objects towards FCK keeper Julian Krahl and also set off fireworks. After the smoke cleared, the referee whistled to restart the match.
Things were also going well on the field. The “Red Devils” – still without a competitive goal this season – had more control over the game. However, it was the Mannheim team who had the better opportunities. First Kushtrim Asallari missed from close range (12th minute) and after almost half an hour Julian Rieckmann failed. Shortly before the break, Kaiserslautern also applied more pressure, but had no luck.
The second half started late - pyrotechnics were once again the cause of the delay. However, when asked by the dpa news agency, the Mannheim police headquarters said that the outcome of the operation around the Carl Benz Stadium was "positive" and "without any significant incidents", at least until the escalation after the regular season.
