BOCHUM, Germany — The start of a Bundesliga match between Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday was postponed for almost an hour due to a disagreement involving fan banners obstructing emergency exits. This issue led the referee to send both teams back to their locker rooms as efforts to convince Frankfurt supporters to remove banners from specific sections of the security fence were unsuccessful. Security personnel and representatives from both clubs were engaged in discussions to resolve the matter.
The stadium announcer cautioned Frankfurt fans that if the banners were not taken down, the match could not proceed, stating, “and that isn’t in your interests or ours.” It was highlighted that emergency services were withholding their approval for the game to go ahead under current conditions.
Ultimately, the banners were removed, allowing the game to eventually commence with a delay of 50 minutes. Both teams underwent a second warm-up before Frankfurt emerged victorious with a 3-1 win. With this victory, Frankfurt holds the fourth position in the Bundesliga standings, in pursuit of Champions League qualification, while Bochum is positioned at 16th, aiming to stave off relegation.
This is not a novel situation for Bochum; last season saw two instances where games experienced delays due to similar issues with visiting fans’ banners. Additionally, a match earlier this season had significant delays when Bochum’s goalkeeper was hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd during a game against Union Berlin in December. As a result, a tribunal awarded Bochum a win, although appeals against this decision are still being processed.
