Against Turks

Police fear crowd trouble at Austria match

The atmosphere before the European Championship round of 16 between Austria and Turkey(9pm in the sportkrone.at ticker) is great, but apparently also highly explosive. Germany's police even fear a stampede.

"When Austria plays Turkey, there will be a large number of fans," said Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster in an interview with the "Bild" newspaper. "Depending on how the game turns out, you have to expect a stampede. We are offering everything we have in the background, outwardly it will be a fan festival," hoped the CDU politician after getting a picture of the situation.

Here is the Turkish fan march in Leipzig:

With flags, torches and bengals
42,000 spectators are expected in the stadium. Both Austria and Turkey have received 6,000 tickets each, with the rest going on free sale - it is therefore quite possible that it will be more of a home game for the Bosphorus footballers, who, like the players, are likely to be out for revenge after the 1:6 defeat in March. Several firecrackers were set off in Leipzig during the Turkish supporters' march. They gathered on Leipzig's market square and marched to the stadium with flags, torches and flares under the guidance of the open bus provided by the association.

The police are prepared for possible riots, according to reports. Hundreds of officers are on alert outside and inside the stadium.