Alarm mood in Vienna: Football fans fear violent riots!

Alarm mood in Vienna: Football fans fear violent riots!

This Saturday, June 6, 2025, the football world is looking forward to the upcoming World Cup qualifier between Albania and Serbia in Tirana. While the fans in Albania are looking forward to an exciting match, there is great concern in Vienna about possible riots. How meinkreis.at reported, the last duels between the two teams have often ended in chaos, especially on Oktakringer Straße, the well-known gathering point in Vienna after football games.

UEFA has already ruled out several games, such as Armenia against Azerbaijan, due to the high potential for conflict. However, the meeting between Albania and Serbia is one of the explosive duels that is still on the schedule. In the past there have not only been riots between fans, but also violent clashes with the police. One example is the 2014 mass brawl in Belgrade, which was triggered by a drone flying a “Greater Albania” flag. But things also became uncomfortable in Vienna itself in 2015 after a Serbian victory in Albania, when around 50 Albanian fans attacked a Serbian restaurant. These incidents are symptomatic of the violent fan culture that continues to erupt.

Police risks and preparations

The situation remains tense and the police are alarmed as calls for mobilization from fans are already circulating on social networks. The deployment of around 200 additional police officers in Vienna was announced to ensure security, especially in view of the Austria-Romania game taking place at the same time. oe24.at points out that Ottakringer Straße has often witnessed riots. Historical incidents of rioting after football matches suggest a worrying trend.

There is great uncertainty, especially after the last riot after Croatia's semi-final victory in 2022, when dozens of firecrackers were set off and fascist greetings were shown. Police are planning to have more than 100 officers in the run-up to the game and will carry out pyrotechnics checks to prevent potential riots.

A look at fan culture

The dark side of fan culture is not just a problem in Vienna. A report from Deutschlandfunk shows that riots occur again and again in many football games, such as the Rhenish derby between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln. For example, fans there took action by setting off flares on the pitch. Such incidents raise the question of how fan culture can be dealt with in order to reject violence.

The police and the associations are faced with the challenge of getting the riots under control, while at the same time the fascination for football is captivating millions of people. For the coming games, it remains to be seen whether the tension will erupt into anger or whether the security measures will be effective. What is currently clear is that the anticipation of the match is accompanied by a shadow that cannot be overlooked.