Drama in the stadium: Jena defeats Berlin, but the fans turn violent!

Drama in the stadium: Jena defeats Berlin, but the fans turn violent!

The Northeast Regional League once again made headlines last weekend. In the game between FC Carl Zeiss Jena and BFC Preußen Berlin, which took place on October 17, 2025, there was tension on the pitch, which was, however, rounded off by violent clashes.

BFC Berlin started the game bravely and gave Jena a lot of pressure right from the start. However, Jena took the lead in the fourth minute thanks to a goal from captain Nils Butzen after a corner. Berlin, who dominated the game despite being behind, did not allow themselves to be discouraged. Brehmer missed a great opportunity in the 14th minute when his shot narrowly missed the post. The capital city team also failed to capitalize on several more chances before Jena made it 2-0 in a strong counterattack - Alexander Prokopenko scored after a breakthrough from Malik Talabidi in the 37th minute.

At half-time the game was a reflection of the omens: Jena led 2-0, although Berlin was superior in terms of play. After the break, Jena changed his tactics and went into a defensive line of five, which made things difficult for the Berlin offensive. In the 64th minute there was a penalty for Berlin after a foul by Butzen on Chadi Ramadan, which Lenny Stein safely converted to make it 2-1. Now Berlin sensed their chance to equalize, but only one more opportunity from Adekunle remained unused. Finally, Jena took advantage of the space available in the final phase and sealed the victory with a goal from Kay Seidemann in stoppage time to make it 3-1.

Rapid riots after the game

Unfortunately, this encounter was not without violent incidents. After the game between Jena and Chemie Leipzig there were serious riots. 79 people were injured, including 10 emergency services and 64 spectators. The game took place in front of 7,224 spectators, including a delegation of 1,084 chemistry fans. Jena won here 5-0, but the encounter was known as a risky game due to the long-standing rivalry between the ultras of the clubs.

Even before the game, around 350 Jena fans marched through the city unannounced and set off pyrotechnics. The police had to intervene with physical force and gas to stop the march. In the stadium itself, the atmosphere was kept tense as pyrotechnics were set off several times. After the final whistle, the situation escalated when Leipzig fans threw fireworks towards the Jena supporters. This led to two buffer gates behind the south stand being forced open, which resulted in an uncontrolled clash between both fan camps.

The police were forced to intervene with irritant gas, which reportedly also injured innocent bystanders. The incident left both property damage and an overwhelming amount of confrontation, with a total of 40 criminal and administrative offenses reported. So far there have been no official reactions from the clubs involved to the outbreaks of violence and the ongoing problems in football.

Given these events, it is clear that violence in football has a lasting impact not only on the games themselves, but also on the environment. At a time when community and fair play should be at the forefront, it is alarming to note that such incidents continue to be commonplace. Further information on the topic of violence in football can be found here.