London: European football chiefs charged Arsenal and Cologne on Friday after vast numbers of away fans gained access to the home sections of Emirates Stadium, sparking chaotic scenes that marred the Europa League clash.
Visiting fans were issued with 3,000 tickets but around 20,000 fans of the German club are believed to have made the journey to the British capital.
The start of the match was delayed by an hour as ticketless Cologne fans tried to gain entry to the ground in north London and there were clearly thousands of away supporters sitting among Arsenal fans, causing a security risk.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he had been preparing for a postponement, describing the decision to play Thursday’s Group H tie as a “gamble”.
Both clubs now face disciplinary proceedings from governing body UEFA.
Cologne fans are accused of crowd disturbances, setting off fireworks, throwing objects and causing acts of damage, while Arsenal face a probe for “stairways blocked in away supporters sector”.
UEFA said it would deal with the cases on September 21.
Five arrests were made during the evening. Arsenal issued a statement insisting the safety of supporters was the main concern at the time as the club launched a “full review” of the events.
Earlier, YouTube footage showed thousands of Cologne fans surging through the streets of London, chanting in unison and setting off flares.
“Following last night’s UEFA Europa League match with Cologne, we would like to stress that fan safety was always our paramount concern and informed all decisions made,” Arsenal’s statement said.
“We have launched a full review into the circumstances surrounding the game and will ensure any lessons that can be learned are used in the future.”
Arsenal said they were investigating how away fans gained access after pictures emerged of a minority of Cologne supporters causing problems for stewards inside the stadium.
‘Shame on the club’
“They (Cologne fans) were very clever,” said Wenger. “I don’t know how they managed to infiltrate our fans and get everywhere but they did that very well. I don’t know if they went through Arsenal membership, on the internet... they did very well.
“I thought they would not play the game, because I can’t see the police taking any risk.
“We live in a society of 100 percent security and I thought they would never take a gamble to play this game when I saw the images around the stadium. But I must say our supporters as well dealt well with the situation and there was no aggravation.”
Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn said fans who misbehaved had “brought shame on the club” and club legend Bodo Illgner, a World Cup-winning goalkeeper with Germany in 1990, also criticised the small minority of fans who misbehaved.
Arsenal’s statement also said it was “very disappointing” that so many home tickets appeared to have been purchased by Cologne supporters via ticket touts after the club worked closely with police, who deployed extra numbers once the trouble began, and UEFA.
“The 3,000 tickets issued to Cologne fans was in line with competition rules but it is clear many more visiting fans arrived, causing significant congestion and disturbance outside the stadium before kick-off,” it said.
“Many tickets were sold through touts and this is very disappointing and something we continue to work hard to address.”
Arsenal won the match 3-1 after falling behind to a long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before bouncing back in the second half. Substitute Sead Kolasinac equalised before goals from Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin gave the Londoners the win.
Cologne coach Peter Stoeger refused to be questioned on the actions of the club’s supporters, saying: “I have no comment about the fans.”
“I’m the coach, my job is the team, my job is football not the fans,” the Austrian added.
Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat FC Cologne 3-1 after crowd disturbances in London, while AC Milan’s new signing Andre Silva scored a hat-trick in a rousing 5-1 win at Austria Vienna as the Europa League group stage got underway on Thursday.
Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team.
Arsenal’s Group H match was delayed by an hour as about 20,000 Cologne supporters fans, many without tickets, descended on The Emirates before kick off as their team returned to European competition for the first time in 25 years.
There were also scuffles between fans and when the action finally started, Arsenal fell behind to a stunning long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before second-half goals from Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin rescued the win.
Milan’s Portugal forward, signed from Porto in the close season, enjoyed a prolific night as he became the first player to score a European hat-trick for the seven-times European champions since Brazilian Kaka against Anderlecht in 2006.
Hakan Calhanoglu set Milan on their way with a fierce drive in the seventh minute and then set up Silva’s first two goals in the 10th and 20th of the Group D game.
Although Alexandar Borkovic pulled one back two minutes after the break, Silva completed his treble in the 56th minute after being sent clear by Franck Kessie’s through ball. Suso added the fifth just after the hour before Milan eased up.
Atalanta were also impressive, scoring three first-half goals to beat English opponents Everton in Group E.
Andrea Masiello tapped the ball in from a corner after 27 minutes before Alejandro Gomez rifled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 41st and Bryan Cristante added the third three minutes later after Everton were caught in possession.
“I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime,” said Argentine Gomez. “I’m not a young kid anymore so to play my first Europa League match at 29 and beat Everton is very emotional.” LYON HELD Olympique Lyonnais were held 1-1 at Apollon Limassol in the group’s other game after Adrian Sardinero Corpa got a last-gasp equaliser for the Cypriots to cancel out Memphis Depay’s 53rd minute penalty.
Braga pulled off a shock in Group C by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Hoffenheim, who had beaten German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
