Eintracht Frankfurt registered its first UCL win of the season, defeating Olympique de Marseille away from home 1-0. However, it was marred by crowd unrest following an alleged Nazi salute by one of the supporters.
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2022-23 has already seen its share of controversies. On Tuesday, defending UEFA Europa League (UEL) champion, Eintracht Frankfurt travelled to take on Olympique de Marseille. The latter won 1-0, thanks to its lone winner from Jesper Lindstrøm in the 43rd minute, while it was its maiden UCL success to date. However, the victory was overshadowed by crowd unrest. Social media clips displayed both sets of fans hurling fireworks at each other. Also, a couple of supporters were seen performing the infamous Nazi salute, which could have triggered the trouble. After the match, the German club condemned the act.
Two Eintracht Frankfurt supporters have been caught on camera making a Nazi salute ahead of 's Champions League game at Marseille.
Background thread on why this is a big deal. 1/6pic.twitter.com/OiaCR25eI3
Frankfurt released a statement that read, "The club dissociates itself completely and utterly from the one isolated incident that occurred during the run-up to the UEFA Champions League match between Olympique de Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt, where a gesture resembling a Nazi salute was made. Anti-Semitic ideas are totally opposed to the club's categoric and immutable values and roots."
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UCL. 13.09.2022
Hot and tense atmosphere during the Marseille - Eintracht Frankfurt match.
German fans on the left vs. Marseille fans on the right. pic.twitter.com/8dop8t4GXl
"The person who can be seen on the video and who has yet to be identified reported of their own accord to the Eintracht Frankfurt fan representatives during the first half of the match and emphatically denies the accusation of anti-Semitic motives. Eintracht Frankfurt will be conducting a detailed investigation of the events and the behaviour of the person involved," the statement further added.
Olympique de Marseille v Eintracht Frankfurt
13/09/22🇨🇵🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/06ocsEG8ic
Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner also slammed the fans and termed them 'idiots'. "I focus on the sporting aspect. My role is the sport. But I believe these idiots do not belong to football or the world. We all agree that they should not be given too much importance. I prefer to talk about football. This aggressiveness is not just a football problem. It is a general problem today," he said following the game.