Woman bites soccer fan as ‘horrible’ thugs take participant’s shirt off him
German Police are probing an incident where a young Croatian fan was bitten in a scramble for midfielder Luka Ivanusec’s shirt.
Fan Lenard Barisic shared a video of his injured shoulder on Instagram, detailing the shocking event that unfolded after the final whistle at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena after their 1-1 draw with Italy at Euro 2024 on Monday night.
The Instagram page volimhrvatsku posted: “HORRIBLE! After the match against Italy, Luka Ivanucec threw his jersey into the hands of a young man @lenard_barisic but three foreigners tore off his holy piece of fabric, and in the fight for him one woman bloody bit the young man’s shoulder. Everything has been reported to the police.”
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A spokesperson for Saxony Police told the Mirror: “We can inform you that a robbery happened around 11.10pm. A 20-year-old man caught the jersey of a player and unknown suspects tried to take it from him.
“An unknown woman bit him on the shoulder, causing the 20-year-old to release the jersey and the suspects to steal it. The 20-year-old was injured and taken to a hospital. The criminal police is now investigating on suspicion of robbery.”
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Barisic, who is part of a band named Croatian Guards, had earlier been seen strumming a small guitar as 5,000 Croatian fans flooded Leipzig’s Marktplatz. Feyenoord star Ivanusec is understood to have privately reached out to Barisic, vowing to send him a signed shirt.
Leipzig was swarming with police as an estimated 100,000 Croatians travelled to Germany throughout the tournament to cheer on their team. Lower Saxony Police, who had been conducting video surveillance of Croatian fans from city centre windows on Monday, later released a statement on their website.
(Image: Jan Woitas/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
It read: “The football match ended 1-1 at around 10.55pm. During the game, police in the stadium had to take criminal prosecution measures. Throwing cups and the use of pyrotechnics required criminal prosecution. After the game, the stadium quickly emptied.
“At this football match, drone defence also found four drones in the restricted flight zone, brought them to land and opened investigations against the pilots identified for violating the Aviation Act. Many drone pilots are not aware that they have a duty to prepare for the flight and therefore need to be particularly informed about the geographical features and associated restrictions.
“During the entire operation, 45 criminal offences and five administrative offences were registered. As the numerous crimes in the market area and during the fan walks have not yet been evaluated, a significant increase in the number of cases is to be expected.
“So far, 15 suspects have been identified. Investigations have been opened primarily for attempted dangerous bodily harm in connection with the ignition of pyrotechnics, but also for incitement, the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations, bodily harm, trespassing and violations of the Aviation Act.”
