Thousands of fans on the streets, little distance and masks and even spectators in some arenas - on the last day of the season, professional football has approached a familiar normal from the time before Corona.

The emotional images of desire for ascent and grief for descent were once again accompanied by riots with pyrotechnics, injured fans and police officers and a series of arrests.

At the focal points of Bremen, Cologne, Berlin, Rostock, Ingolstadt and Dresden, corona rules were violated in rows at fan groups - probably also an expression of the general relaxation exercises in pandemic-tired Germany.

Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler saw the return of 2,000 spectators to the An der Alten Försterei stadium as a signal of hope.

"We feel comfortable with it," said the club boss on the TV broadcaster Sky and emphasized: "The clubs are well equipped for people to come back." For the first time in almost seven months, fans were able to enter the Köpenicker Arena.

"It is important for politics to get a feeling again, we are happy to help," said Zingler, also with a view to further opening measures for culture and sport.

"That felt good"

For the first time since March 2020, champions FC Bayern were able to welcome some spectators to the arena at the end of the season. Instead of 75,000, there were only 250 this time, but Munich's outgoing coach Hansi Flick still said: “That was good.” Access was only possible with a negative corona test or proven vaccination, and a mask was required in the stands. It was possibly a first test run for the European Championship games in Munich, if the German team could play in front of at least 14,500 spectators in June.

The biggest backdrop of the weekend was welcomed by FC Hansa Rostock. 7500 people attended the host's second division promotion in the Ostseestadion. “It's a really great feeling. Celebrating with crazy people here is unbelievable, ”enthused Hansa professional Lukas Scherff. Then 6000 Rostock fans celebrated their return to the second division after nine years, crowded together on the Neuer Markt, and mask wearers were in the minority, as in the stadium.

During the night riots broke out and a group of 250 rioters attacked the police and fire brigade with pyrotechnics and throwing bottles.

Similar scenes took place in Cologne.

After 1. FC Köln saved themselves from being relegated to the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against FC Schalke 04, police officers and fans suffered lacerations, cuts and bang trauma in confrontations.

A WDR employee was also attacked and injured.

Several rioters were taken into custody.

"Shocking résumé in Bochum"

After VfL Bochum's rise to the Bundesliga, the police there also drew a “shocking summary”: Despite numerous appeals from security authorities, the city and the club with a view to the pandemic situation, there were large gatherings, the Bochum police said late on Sunday evening With.

"6000 to 7000 people were in the vicinity of the stadium and in the city center."

Interferers would have thrown bottles, pyrotechnics and stones at the emergency services.

Eight police officers were injured, and two were no longer fit for duty.

Ten people were taken into custody.

In 70 cases so far, the police have punished the illegal burning of pyrotechnics, and the officials also wrote eleven reports of property damage and twelve of illegal narcotics.

Ten fans were arrested on the sidelines of the third division game between FC Ingolstadt and TSV 1860 Munich - mostly from Munich. Here, too, pyrotechnics had been used. In Krefeld, at the celebrations for the third division club KFC Uerdingen, a person was slightly injured by a smoke pot thrown into the team bus. After the heavy riot of the previous week, it remained peaceful this time in Dresden, where second division promoted Dynamo was received by around 1000 fans with Bengalos.

Around 1500 fans had also gathered at the Weserstadion to swear the Werder Bremen team to the decisive match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. After the 2: 4 bankruptcy, some of the frustration turned into aggression. The “uncanny solidarity” of the supporters, which Werder interim coach Thomas Schaaf felt, did not help in the fight against the first relegation in 41 years. But at least Bremen go into the second division with the certainty that the loyalty of their fans is intact even after 15 months of the pandemic.