More information has emerged from last night’s clash between Newcastle and West Ham United supporters.A spokesman for Dusseldorf police said “There were 300 English fans in the city centre.The fans from both clubs met and first of all they had some beers on their own, and when they met the other club there has been some verbal arguments. After that they had a psychical fight.We put 100 policemen in the city centre so that things would calm down and it calmed down very fast but we made 21 short term arrests so that they couldn’t go on fighting.We have a lot of police in the city centre because there are lots of pubs and bars. There was a lot of extra police because of a Fortuna Dusseldorf football game on Friday and we knew that there would also be English fans in the centre.It involved normal police, not riot police.”
He added that the fans of both clubs were taken into custody would be released after they had become ‘sober’
Many were released this morning although some are believed to have missed the game.
The majority of fans were enjoying drinks together in peace in many of the city’s bars on Friday night and there had also been a friendly atmosphere at the game today.