Due to the anti-Semitic incident at the Conference League match against Maccabi Haifa, UEFA has initiated investigations against Union Berlin.
As the European football governing body announced on Tuesday, it has launched a disciplinary investigation. These concern “potential discriminatory incidents” that allegedly took place during the Bundesliga club’s Europa Conference League group game against Maccabi Haifa (3-0).
According to eyewitnesses and those concerned, anti-Semitic insults and attacks on supporters of the Israeli club had occurred in a fan block of the Berlin Olympic Stadium. According to the Berlin police, the Maccabi fans were “verbally provoked, threatened and had beer thrown at them”. The victims also reported that the perpetrators attempted to set fire to an Israel flag. The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident on suspicion of incitement of the people. The Union strongly condemned the incidents afterwards and is working with the police to come to terms with them.
The registered Union fan clubs also distanced themselves from the incidents in a joint statement on Tuesday. “To the fans and those responsible at Maccabi Haifa, we can only say that we are very sorry for the incidents and we will not tolerate them under any circumstances!” it said. “Violence, discrimination and inhumane behaviour are not part of our football culture and we do not support them in any way.
