Serious riots broke out before the Conference League game of Bundesliga soccer club 1. FC Köln at OGC Nice, and the kick-off was postponed indefinitely.
“We are currently discussing the background.
The UEFA safety meeting is now taking place,” FC tweeted around 15 minutes before the scheduled kick-off at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Around 50 masked Cologne residents had initially attacked the French block.
Flares, e-scooters, chairs and tables flew during the ensuing argument.
It took more than five minutes for the police to get the situation under control.
Around five minutes later, Nice supporters attacked the Cologne block.
This time the situation was under control more quickly.
Nothing was initially known about injuries and arrests.
The captains Jonas Hector from 1. FC Köln and Nice's captain Dante stepped in front of their fan blocks with microphones.
“We wanted to celebrate a football festival with you.
We still want to play, but of course we can't approve of that," said Hector: "We worked our ass off to qualify for the Conference League and we want to play this too.
Please keep quiet, we want to celebrate football here and not have violence."
The association wrote that it condemned “every form of violence.
We stand for fair sporting dealings and respectful behavior.
We are very sorry for all the peaceful fans who have turned today into a Cologne football festival.” Thousands of Cologne fans previously celebrated their club's return to the group stage of a European Cup with carnival hits and a big parade.
According to estimates, around 10,000 supporters marched through the southern French city before the first game.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi was upset with the legacy and behavior of FC supporters.
"I regret the rude and scandalous behavior of the Cologne fans and the lack of respect for the city, which welcomes them generously and brotherly," he tweeted with photos of garbage leftovers in the city.
"We will send the invoices for damage and the cleaning of public places to the Cologne association," he announced.
Deputy Mayor Pierre-Paul Léonelli also tweeted pictures and wrote: "Who says that the Germans are disciplined?" the kick-off: "OGC Nice 1, 1. FC Cologne 0."
Hours before the duel, the Cologne fans got in the mood for their club's performance with songs from Cologne.
Then they went towards the stadium and passed the team hotel.
There they celebrated coach Steffen Baumgart with loud chants.
On the roof of the hotel, Baumgart took off his cap and greeted the supporters.
But the mood in the stadium changed – with an uncertain outcome.