Union Berlin have been ordered to close part of their stadium for their next European fixture due to the “racist behaviour” of some of their fans during a Europa Conference League match last month.
One fan was photographed performing a Nazi salute during the game against Israeli club Maccabi Haifa at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on September 30, while The Junges Forum Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft said they were called ‘shitty Jews’ and had beer thrown on them.
They also alleged that one Union fan snatched an Israeli flag from a female supporter and attempted to set it alight, only to be prevented by a police officer and other fans.
I a statement, UEFA said that in addition to the closure of two sectors where home fans sit the governing body also ordered Union Berlin to display a banner with the wording “#NoToRacism” in their next home UEFA competition game.
Union Berlin’s next home game in the Europa Conference League is on November 4 against Feyenoord.
The match in September had huge cultural and political significance, as Maccabi became the first Israeli team to play at the Olympiastadion — built under the Nazi regime for the Berlin Olympics in 1936.
Maccabi’s players visited the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin ahead of the match. “This isn’t just another game for us. Atrocities happened here,” their head coach, Barak Bakhar, said.
Union president Dirk Zingler meanwhile commented before the game: “We know that this game is of very special importance beyond the sporting side for our guests from Haifa and for the Jewish community in Berlin.”
The stadium is usually used by Union’s city rival Hertha Berlin, but it has been taken over by Union for European competition this season as its own stadium in the eastern borough of Kopenick doesn’t have enough seating capacity to meet UEFA demands.
