This Monday, Belgium will face Slovakia for its first Euro match. A crucial meeting which will be played in Frankfurt. If hooligans are very present in this city, Belgian supporters will have to be particularly wary of one neighborhood. “The Frankfurt train station area is the only conflict zone”, explains Jan Vanmaercke to our colleagues at Nieuwsblad. He is a spotter in the Zulte Waregem stadium. In Belgium, its mission is to observe the supporters and intervene in the event of a problem.
This summer, he will accompany Red Devils supporters and has already carried out a scouting trip in the German city. “The use of hard drugs is normal there, even if only on the street. Passers-by are harassed, drug users ask for money”, he continues. “We are not safe there. We ask the Belgians who are coming to leave the station area as soon as possible and go to the fan zone.”
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“The most dangerous slum in Germany”
An article in the Sun had already depicted this risky neighborhood. Nicknamed “Zombieland”, the place was to welcome English supporters for the match against Denmark. A prospect that frightened the British tabloid. “Frankfurt’s train station area is known as ‘the most dangerous slum in Germany’ with its streets filled with 5,000 drug addicts and 300 dealers. The no-go zone is so dangerous that children are escorted to schools and even street sweepers receive police protection.”detail our colleagues.
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In April, the German police had already carried out a clean-up to avoid incidents. The German daily Bild notably announced that 10,000 people have been stopped by the police in the station area since February.
In all, 10,000 Belgians are expected in Frankfurt to support the Red Devils. To ensure their safety, there will be the German police, helped by seven Belgian police officers who will accompany the supporters. “Five other Belgian agents in uniform will be able to help in the event of an emergency,” specifies the Nieuwsblad.
The rest of the city poses no problem. The ideal will therefore be not to venture out or stay near the station.
