Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) believes the Berlin police are well prepared for the heated clash between Hertha BSC and Dynamo Dresden at the weekend. "The Dresden game is a high-risk match, but we are well prepared. You can assume that. Berlin is used to it," said Spranger on the sidelines of a media appointment for the NFL game in November.
"It's a challenge, of course. We have another challenge, of course, because Union is also playing," said the SPD politician. It's a first: Hertha will welcome the Saxons to the Olympiastadion at 1pm. Union's game against Freiburg kicks off at 3.30pm in Köpenick. Normally, a double game day like this is avoided for security reasons.
The Hertha game in particular is in the spotlight. The Olympiastadion is expected to be sold out with more than 74,000 fans. The Berliners have sent more than 11,000 tickets to Saxony. According to media reports, however, Dynamo fans are expected to have secured significantly more tickets through various channels.
Union expects a mammoth effort
Hertha have announced that fans in Dynamo fan clothing will be banned from entering the home area. Nevertheless, there could be a mix-up of fan camps in some blocks, which are particularly hostile to each other.
Benjamin Jendro from the police union (GdP) told the "B.Z.": "It will be a mammoth operation that will not end with the final whistle, so we have to expect many alarms from the free time and overtime." They are hoping for support from the federal government.
According to the report, the police are assuming a charged atmosphere between the fan camps internally. In the event of a clash, immediate verbal hostilities and even physical confrontations are to be expected.
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