Arsenal reveal 'number of measures' taken to stop FC Koln fans sitting in home end but admit lessons learned
Five fans were arrested by Metropolitan Police
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal have revealed the “number of measures” they took in attempt to stop Koln fans sneaking into the home end at the Emirates prior to Thursday night’s Europa League chaos and pledged that lessons would be learned from what happened.
The Gunners ran out 3-1 winners in the Group H opener, which was delayed by an hour and saw as many as 20,000 Koln fans making the journey from western Germany despite only 3,000 tickets being made available, five of whom were arrested by Met Police.
That meant many attempted to enter without tickets or with tickets for the Arsenal sections, where it soon became clear ahead of kick-off that plenty had succeeded.
Arsene Wenger suggested Koln fans may have done this by subscribing to Arsenal membership online but the Gunners have revealed they closed this option off to fans prior to the Europa League draw being made last month.
In a statement, Arsenal said: “Following last night's Uefa Europa League match with Koln we would like to stress that fan safety was always our paramount concern and informed all decisions made.
“We worked in full consultation with police and Uefa officials on the night and in advance of the game and had taken extensive steps in advance to prevent tickets being sold to visiting supporters.
“This included a number of measures including ensuring no tickets were sold via general sale and that no red memberships purchased after the draw were able to be used to get tickets in the home end for this match. We also worked with our colleagues at Koln to stop supporters travelling without match tickets.
“The 3,000 tickets issued to Koln fans was in line with competition rules but it is clear many more visiting fans arrived, causing significant congestion and disturbance outside the stadium before kick-off. Many tickets were sold through touts and this is very disappointing.
“We have launched a full review into the circumstances surrounding the game and will ensure any lessons that can be learned are used in the future.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments