November 12, 2022
The brief from today:
More World Cup protests in Germany
Bundesliga matches today were the scenes of more protests against the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. It was similar to what happened last weekend around certain stadiums, but this round of matches brought even more participation from various fan groups. With the main gripe amongst fans revolving around the human rights issues in Qatar, there were numerous banners on display voicing discontent with the host nation, while other messages directed their ire towards FIFA and their president, Gianni Infantino. Much like last weekend, there was a call from fans to boycott the World Cup altogether with Hertha Berlin supporters, in particular, displaying this message strongly with fans around the stadium holding up “Boycott Qatar” scarves. This isn’t the first time a World Cup is preceded by negative publicity as the tournament nears, but the increased social media exposure to such protests has certainly amplified the frustration many have with Qatar being the venue of such a massive event.
Hertha Berlin fans, amongst others, were emphatic about their “Boycott Qatar” message this weekend
More ultra problems in Italy
Following a recent incident where Inter Milan ultras forcibly cleared out regular fans from the Curva Nord section at San Siro in memory of an ultra member, similar aggression has occurred again today. The match in question this time was at the Marassi where Sampdoria hosted Lecce. Sampdoria have been on a poor run of form since the season started, and have only managed to get six points after 15 matches played. This particular match followed that trend and saw Lecce win 0-2, which infuriated the home fans, but the hardcore ultra section escalated their response following the final whistle. It started with jeers, which were then followed by threatening chants, and if that wasn’t enough, they proceeded to block the exits of the Marassi. Law enforcement were forced to step in at this point and provide protection to the team locker room from potential fan invasions. The Italian government claimed they would intervene following the Inter ultra situation, but with another incident taking place this weekend, they will have to do more than press releases to ensure safety for regular fans, as well as players, at stadiums.
The Sampdoria ultra section at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, aka Marassi, before the Lecce match kicked off