Hooligan attack in Rostock: Brutally followed Dresden fans!

Hooligan attack in Rostock: Brutally followed Dresden fans!

in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there were serious riots in a third division game between Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden. Like Bild reported, handle supporters of Hansa Rostock on February 22nd 2025 not only the fans of the guests, but also a taxi driver. The Situation escalated when the police in the Baltic Sea Stadium could prevent the situation from tightening during the game, but could not control all incidents outside the stadium. The start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes and finally ended with a 1-0 for Hansa Rostock.

The incident took place on Copernikusstrasse when three fans of Dynamo Dresden were traveling to the game in a taxi. Suddenly they got into a march of around 300 Rostock hooligans who surrounded the taxi. The fans in the vehicle were attacked when the taxi driver unlocked the door, which gave the attackers access. The occupants were not only injured, but also deprived of their fan utensils. The police have now started to evaluate video recordings to identify the perpetrators and started a search for a total of 13 suspects. Four have already been caught, while the search for other people continues. Information can be reported directly to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania police.

fan culture and violence in football

The topic of violent fans or hooligans not only concerns the police, but also society itself. The Federal Center for Political Education shows that the hooligan scene is not a new phenomenon. The term was already shaped in the 19th century England, while violent riots in Germany have been increasingly observed in Germany since the 1970s. The anchorage of such groups in the football stadiums has led to a decline in the number of spectators in the past, since security concerns and violence speak against the basic football culture.

After catastrophic events such as the tragedy in the Heysel Stadium in 1985 with 39 dead or the Hillsborough-Hunglück in 1989, in which 96 people left their lives, the pressure on the security requirements in stadiums was increasingly greater. The increasing commercialization of football and increasing admission prices have also led to the change in the audience and faltered the fan culture. For many, however, it remains unclear whether the willingness to violence has actually decreased in recent years or whether the problems have simply become less visible.

drugs and violence in fan culture

Another aspect that cannot be left out in the discussion about violent fans is drug use. According to a study by the German Institute for Addiction and Prevention Research, about the Deutschlandfunk , 52 percent of the respondents state to have experienced with violence in football, although a significant part of the respondents belongs to the ultra or hooligan scene. The connection between drug use and violence is clear, because almost a third of the respondents consume cannabis, followed by 13 percent.

Stefan Becker, Head of Junior Addiction Consulting Cologne, describes the challenges associated with such violent excesses. He does not see the problems as specifically for football, but rather as a mirror of the entire social conditions. Research in this area is further expanded to find possible solutions and reduce the willingness to violence. The fan projects coordination office plans to treat the interdependencies between football fans and drugs in a workshop and to support the social workers in their important work.