The German Football Association has announced a comprehensive investigation into violent disorder at the DFB-Pokal tie between SV Waldhof Mannheim and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which left 85 people injured, eight of whom required hospital treatment.
Trouble escalated after a goalless 90 minutes when visiting supporters fired pyrotechnics into a seating area, injuring a spectator in the family section, and Mannheim fans attempted a pitch invasion. The referee sent both teams to the dressing rooms for half an hour before extra time proceeded, with Kaiserslautern ultimately winning 1-0. Of the 1,400 officers deployed, 35 suffered minor injuries from thrown flares and fireworks, and mounted police were called into action.
Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Manuel Hagel condemned the violence, calling the perpetrators criminals. Mannheim's sporting director Gerhard Zuber said a female fan was seriously hurt by pyrotechnic rockets. Earlier, home supporters had thrown seat shells at Kaiserslautern's goalkeeper before kickoff.