FC Hansa Rostock Has Distanced Itself From Hooligans Who Allegedly Posed in Front of a Swastika Flag During a Trip to England

The club has notified police and is investigating potential connections between the hooligans and the club. The incident occurred around the away match against FC Watford in late July, where fans allegedly also met with supporters of Glasgow Rangers and Olympique Lyon for a so-called "Ackerkampf, a pre-arranged brawl between hooligan groups. "After we became aware of the incident today, we acted immediately.

The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state police, the Rostock federal police inspection, and the state security division of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern interior ministry have been informed. We have also made contact with the DFB and the relevant offices for stadium bans, Hansa said in a statement. The trigger was a report by the investigative portal "Exif, which showed a photo of the alleged brawlers with a swastika flag.

"It is particularly shocking for us in this context that some of the people pictured in the report were also present at events in the club's environment, including at our children's festival, the club from Mecklenburg announced, adding: "We had no knowledge of the now-revealed background of these people at the time. We will therefore also thoroughly examine and evaluate this aspect. The club said it would examine connections of the individuals to FC Hansa.

"This includes, in addition to a possible club membership, existing or former business, organizational, or other relationships with the club. Should connections be found that are incompatible with our principles and values, we will consistently end them. The third-division club said it would draw consequences, including stadium bans and club exclusions.

"For us it is clear: right-wing extremism, National Socialist symbolism, and misanthropic ideology have no place at F.C. Hansa Rostock." We will not allow people with such behavior to bring our club and its fans into disrepute or convey an image of Hansa that in no way corresponds to our self-image and values, the club said. The club has had a problem with right-wing extremist fans for years, along with regular violent riots, such as in 2025 during a home game against Dynamo Dresden. The 0-3 loss in Watford in late July was the first game of FC Hansa at an English club in the club's 60-year history.

More than 6,000 fans had traveled with FC Hansa to the city northwest of London. The club's choreography during the cup match against Stuttgart on August 21 was also mentioned in the report.