Derby without guest fans: mood falls by the wayside!

Derby without guest fans: mood falls by the wayside!

For the 344th Viennese derby between FK Austria Vienna and SK Rapid, everything was ready - only one thing was missing: the surprise and excitement of guest fans. In an environment that was characterized by protests and stadium bans, Austria triumphed 2-1, while the overall atmosphere was severely steamed by the absence of the rapid supporters. The Austria fan groups had made a clear position and expressed their dissatisfaction with posters and converted transparent. The messages were aimed at the agreement of playing the next four derbies without guest fans, which was interpreted in response to the aggressive riots at the previous encounter in September, in which there was a place storm and 577, mainly due to pyrotechnic violations, as reported today.at.

hard measures after riots

After the violent incidents, it was decided not to allow guest fans anymore, and both clubs announced that they are against the violent fans. Austria Vienna imposed a total of 26 house and stadium bans, which illustrates the massive safety-relevant measures. Rapid Vienna planned 9 stadium bans, which underlines the seriousness of the Situation. The police identified 23 people who were held responsible by the clubs and the executive, which led to an overall package of detailed measures. The recently decided fines of a total of 150,000 euros were perceived by many as too mild, especially against the background of the riots and the allegations.

Despite the adverse circumstances, both players and fans of Austria showed themselves mostly peaceful in the stadium. Austria captain Manfred Fischer regretted the absence of away fans: "It is a shame that there were no away fans", while Rapid captain Matthias Seidl also missed the support of his followers. But the players agreed that the security measures were necessary to avoid such incidents in the future. The derby, which was far from the typical exciting mood of a Viennese duel, led to a clear signal of everyone involved that violence in football has no place. It remains to be seen whether a return to the traditional derbysis scenes with a full viewer contingent will be possible, because the security situation and the associated measures are still a central topic in Austrian football.