It is said that sport and politics should never mix, but sometimes there is no other alternative. With the police in Saxony under pressure from the ongoing crisis in Chemnitz, the DFL (Deutsche Fussball-Liga) have decided to put this weekend's 2. Bundesliga clash between Dynamo Dresden and Hamburger SV off for another day.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last week, you would heard of the unpleasant developments that have been happening in Eastern Germany at the moment. Specifically, in the city of Chemnitz.
Formerly known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, the university city, located close to Germany's border with the Czech Republic, was the scene of a gruesome murder last Sunday, where a 35 year old German-Cuban man was stabbed to death following an altercation between three local men and a number of Middle Eastern migrants. The media made a mess in releasing the story, with facts being distorted by all sides. Tension started to build, and crowds were quickly out in force.
Two migrants have been arrested, one from Syria and the other from Iraq. Following Chancellor Angela Merkel's questionable decision to open Germany's gates in 2015, there has been ongoing tension in Germany. This week, it all came to a head. As well as the legitimate protests about the state of the country, right-wing extremists have also taken the opportunity to take to the streets and make their voices heard.
The result is that Chemnitz's police force has been massively overworked, and reinforcements have had to be called from neighbouring cities including Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin. Some police officers from Bavarian units have also been drafted in.
One of the biggest clubs in the former East, Dynamo Dresden have always needed a police presence at their matches. Their opponents Hamburg also have a massive following. When the fixtures were first announced, this match was always going to be a big one, regardless of problems elsewhere.
With most of Dresden's police officers on the streets in Chemnitz, policing this football match quickly became a logistical problem. Under advice from Saxony's interior ministry, the DFL have had no choice but to postpone the fixture.
The only surprise is that the decision did not come earlier.
Comments