DORTMUND, Germany (AP) – Borussia Dortmund has announced that some of its fans will not be able to travel to Italy for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Atalanta due to “disproportionate” police action, and Italian police have also visited supporters who have already traveled.
“While we understand the safety-focused risk assessment at football matches, Borussia Dortmund is even more surprised by the scope and scale of the measures taken by the police,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday. “Such measures in this form and intensity have never before been carried out in connection with an international away match for Borussia Dortmund.”
It said it was seeking more information about the “background and legal basis for these measures, which are completely incomprehensible to the club”.
The Southern Tribune Dortmund supporters group, which includes many small fan groups, had already announced earlier on Tuesday that German police had prevented Dortmund supporters from traveling to Italy over the weekend, but that the ban had been successfully challenged in an expedited legal process.
However, problems have arisen for all Dortmund fans hoping to go to the match, as federal police are searching for up to 300 Dortmund fans who have been banned from being in Bergamo for what the Südtribune Dortmund newspaper describes as “frivolous reasons”.
Therefore, the Dortmund South Tribune stated that the affiliated group “reluctantly decided to stay away from the match in Bergamo”.
Dortmund, who lead 2-0 against Atalanta in the first leg of the play-offs, said in a statement: “We deeply regret that due to this questionable action by the authorities, some of our fans will not be able to attend the away game in Bergamo in our stadium.”
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