Fans from Eintracht Frankfurt Disrupt Kickoff with Held-Up Banners at Bochum's Vonovia Ruhrstadion
Supporters Blocking Commencement of Bundesliga Match with Displayed Banners
Germany's Bundesliga match between VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt gets off to a late start. The culprit? Fan banners from the visiting Eintracht supporters, blocking an emergency exit passage, causing the referee, Felix Zwayer, to temporarily halt the game.
After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue via announcements, the referee sent both teams back to their locker rooms. The situation remained unchanged for more than half an hour past the scheduled kickoff time, and the stadium announcer announced that safety authorities would not allow the game to proceed given the persisting blockade[1][2].
According to DAZN reporter Ann-Sophie Kimmel, the referee team grew increasingly irate, and there were even discussions of abandoning the match. It wasn't until 16:05 that the Frankfurt fans began removing their banners. After all banners were down, many Hessian supporters left the away block, greeted by chants of "You've paid, you can leave now" from the Bochum crowd[1].
The game was set to resume at 16:20, delayed by 50 minutes. Eintracht Frankfurt has the opportunity to regain third place in the Bundesliga with a victory, while VfL Bochum fights for survival in the relegation battle[1]. Similar situations involving fan banners blocking emergency exits have occurred in previous matches at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion[3]. In September 2023, Borussia Mönchengladbach supporters were involved, followed by VfB Stuttgart in January 2024[1][3].
In summary, the Bundesliga match between VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt was delayed due to a safety concern as fan banners were obstructing emergency exits. After repeated attempts to resolve the issue, the banners were eventually removed, allowing the game to proceed[2].
Sources:[1] ntv.de[2] ter[3] Additional Insight
The community policy regarding fan behavior at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion should have been obeyed, as the disruption caused by Eintracht Frankfurt supporters' banners blocked an emergency exit and delayed the start of the Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum. The employment policy of the Bundesliga needs to address and prevent such incidents to ensure the safety and prompt commencement of matches. Moreover, designated penalties or consequences for disregarding stadium rules could have potentially stopped the postponement of the Bochum versus Frankfurt game.
