Vienna stands in front of football riots: Albania meets Serbia!

Vienna stands in front of football riots: Albania meets Serbia!

Wien, Österreich - On June 6, 2025, Vienna is preparing for a football game that not only has sporting importance, but also has plenty of explosives. On June 7, 2025, Albania and Serbia meet in a World Cup qualification game. In view of the tense political relationships and mobilization calls on social media, the police await tensions between the fan groups. Markus Dittrich, spokesman for the Vienna State Police Directorate, emphasizes that the security situation is taken seriously.

Before the game, a large number of Albanian fans plan to gather in a Viennese Grätzel in which many Serbs traditionally live. This concentration of rival fans has a high escalation potential. Around 200 additional police officers will be in the city on the match day and are primarily used to secure Austria against Romania. However, they are also ready to intervene in the case of conflicts or fan collections in connection with Albania against Serbia.

memories of past riots

The signs are not promising. In the past, a broken football game between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade led to riots in Vienna. At that time, around 50 Albanian and 200 Serbian fans gathered on Ottakringer Strasse in the night of Wednesday. While Albanian fans celebrated in front of a Serbian café and ignited pyrotechnics, Serbian fans reacted with anger and damaged cars. The police had to build roadblocks to separate the groups, which ended in further arguments.

The riots were reimbursed for 30 advertisements for traffic disabilities and pyrotechnics, as well as 14 for property damage. These incidents throw a shadow on the upcoming game, as around 210,000 Serbs and 85,000 Albanians live in Austria. Operators of Albanian and Serbian restaurants clearly distanced themselves from the uprisings and emphasized the desire that sport and conviviality should be in the foreground.

Legal consequences and safety precautions

sporting events, and especially football games, are often associated with legal consequences. As Anwalt.de , there is a high risk of bodily harm in such situations, both between rival fan groups and within our own. Various offenses such as dangerous bodily harm, breach of the peace and resistance to enforcement officers can come to the indictment.

emergency services are therefore not only prepared to end arguments, but also to take preventive action against possible attacks. The use of pyrotechnics is also often punishable, especially if others are violated.

The upcoming match between Albania and Serbia is not only a sporting challenge, but also brings with it the reality of rivalries and potential conflicts, which the Viennese security forces put on alert until further notice.

The predictions are clear: Vienna will have to be vigilant on the match day to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to counter a possibly new chapter of fan conflicts.