Fans in a state of emergency: Violence before the Conference League final in Wroclaw!

Fans in a state of emergency: Violence before the Conference League final in Wroclaw!

On May 28, 2025, in Breslau, Poland, before the final of the Conference League between Chelsea and Betis Sevilla, there were serious arguments between the fans of both teams. According to krone.at, the police were quickly on hand to de -escalate the Situation. Nevertheless, pictures on the Internet report on violent confrontations in front of a pub, in which several dozen fans started both together and on the police. The officials used tear gas and water cannons to combat the escalating violence.

Poland Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced that after the fights on the Breslauer Marktplatz, 28 foreign hooligans were arrested, including four Spaniards. In addition, parts of the city center were sealed off to prevent further riots. The publications on social media already show a heated mood in the morning, which continued to come in the fanzones during the day, causing the police to keep the situation under control without helmets, how 20min.ch reported.

fan riots in the context

The arguments in Wroclaw are not isolated and shout a light on a bigger problem in football. Studies on how you show Deutschlandfunk show a connection between drug use and violent behavior among football fans. A survey by the German Institute for Addiction and Prevention Research shows that 52 percent of the fans surveyed reported violent experiences, the majority of them belong to the ultra or hooligan scene. Drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines are often consumed and perceived as amplifiers of violence.

The Cologne police chief Uwe Jacob condemned continuing violence among football fans. The fan researcher Jonas Gabler emphasizes the need to research these relationships in order to find effective solutions. An upcoming event of coordinating bodies for fan projects is planning workshops on the topics of football fans and drugs to give social workers and fan supervisors who are often overwhelmed by the necessary tools.

The kick -off of the game between Chelsea and Betis Seville is scheduled for 9 p.m. However, the disputes and the associated security questions are in the shade of the sporting event and require extensive measures to ensure security for everyone involved.