Rival ice-hockey fans clash

There were clashes between fans of the local EVZ ice hockey club and those of Servette Geneva both before and after the match on Saturday.

As usual before home matches, EVZ fans had gathered at the Feldhöfli café on Feldstrasse (photograph), just 10 minutes’ walk away from the Bossard Arena. As landlady Doris Aergeter explained, all was as calm as usual until, at around 7 pm, fans began to set off for the stadium. “All of a sudden, some fans from Geneva, some of them wearing face masks, approached the Zug fans and taunted them. It was terrible. A fight involving between 15-20 of them ensued. I watched it all from the café,” she said. “The supporters of Geneva started kicking seats over, causing glasses and ashtrays to get broken. It must have gone on for about ten minutes,” she said, as she described how she had helped an EVZ fan with a bloody nose. “I do not know about any more serious injuries,” said the landlady, who has worked at the bar for about one year. “They all then went off towards the stadium. I have never seen anything like this before,” adding how she thought the fans from Geneva had gone there specifically to cause trouble, local fans having been totally surprised by the incident. She went onto say how a number of local fans had approached her afterwards to apologise for what had happened. “This is a peaceful place where both young and old can meet up. I hope I never experience anything like this again,” she concluded.
 
Speaking in her capacity as spokeswoman of the EVZ, Marisa Hürlimann said that there had been no trouble in the area of the immediate vicinity of the stadium for which they were responsible. “We cannot comment on any incidents which may have taken place elsewhere,” she said, while admitting that officials at EVZ had been aware more fans than usual had made their way to Zug from Geneva, as a result of which greater security had been organised. “We always liaise very carefully with the Zug Police on such occasions,” she said, unable to go into further detail.
 
Indeed, this was confirmed by police spokesman Frank Kleiner. He said that he had been aware some fans from Geneva who had been banned from the stadium would be coming. “Hence there was a greater police presence than usual, though we hadn’t regarded this game as being particularly tense.”
 
Kleiner subsequently went on to say that he had been made aware there had been scuffles between rival fans before the match, fans of both sides having been responsible for initiating it. “Fortunately, we were able to intervene to prevent the situation escalating,” he said, adding how fans from Geneva had then been escorted by police to the ground.
 
While rival fans had tried to engage in further confrontation after the match, thanks to police action, this did not materialise. “Other than one fan from Geneva who, by his own admission, tripped over, there were no other injuries reported and no-one has been charged with any offence,” he concluded.
 
Out of interest, Zug beat Geneva by three goals to nil, the eighth successive win for EVZ in home matches.