155 police officers injured at German soccer match, most from tear

BERLIN (AP) — Some 155 police officers were injured in fighting involving Dynamo Berlin and Energie Cottbus fans over the weekend – most of them from the use of tear gas.

Berlin police said 116 officers suffered injuries from tear-gas use, 28 from assaults and 11 after being hit by pyrotechnics fired by supporters after the fourth-division match at Dynamo’s ground.

“I absolutely condemn it,” Berlin’s senator for sport, Iris Spranger, said Monday. “The club has to tell us now what it wants to do with its fan base. This is taxpayers’ money that we had to spend, with 1,000 police officers for security.”

Security at soccer games is a priority for police, with Germany hosting the European Championship for 24 national teams this summer. Police have been training for potential trouble at matches.

“Such violence destroys sport,” Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said on X, formerly Twitter.

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