“Completely disproportionate” – Stuttgart boss Wehrle on police intervention

VfB Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle has described the police intervention in Deventer as “completely disproportionate.”

On a night in which Stuttgart supporters should be celebrating a fantastic 4-0 win against Go Ahead Eagles, the mood among the fanbase remains low after a clash between the police and travelling supporters ahead of the match. 

Footage emerged on social media of travelling VfB fans being met by forceful police action upon arrival, with fans meeting in Deventer ahead of organised transport to the stadium.

According to a statement released by Stuttgart, entry bans were issued against three buses full of travelling supporters, resulting in fellow supporters not attending the fixture in solidarity.

CEO Alexander Wehrle – who was at the meeting point – described the police action as “completely disproportionate.”

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Wehrle, as reported by local outlet Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen. “It has nothing to do with football when peaceful fans are treated like serious criminals. We have filed a written complaint with UEFA.”

“I wanted to preserve the fan culture in Europe,” added Wehrle. “And I’m starting to get really worried about that. If I hadn’t seen the scenes myself, I couldn’t have imagined that in Europe.”