It was still leisurely on the grounds in the city forest: groups of schoolchildren, who were using the autumn holidays for a football trip, strolled across the stadium grounds in the morning and took photos of the professionals cycling over from the campus on bikes, trucks drove up to the kiosks with refills of drinks and craftsmen worked with tape and ladders to decorate the stadium on behalf of UEFA in such a way that it met the strict requirements of the Champions League norms.

This Wednesday, the relaxed atmosphere will soon be over.

George Daniels

Editor in the sports department

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Marc Heinrich

sports editor.

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When there is another clash between Eintracht and Olympique Marseille on the fifth matchday of the premier class in Group D (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on DAZN), there is the highest alert level in the area around the sold-out stadium.

A crowd of 49,000 is expected, and many have ugly memories of the terrifying events of September's first leg in the south of France, when Olympique supporters hunted down Eintracht fans and kept firing pyrotechnics at them - something similarly questionable for some in the Hessian orbit behavior prompted.

Looking back, Djibril Sow described the constant burning of fireworks and the firing of cannon fire, which had created a climate of fear in Marseille, as unbearable, despite all understandable emotionality: "It was a shock for all of us," said the 25-year-old , "it was too much.

That had nothing to do with football.”

Sow: "Criminals on both sides"

Club President Peter Fischer spoke afterwards of "civil war-like" conditions that led six weeks ago to Frankfurt fan Michael Brehl being so badly injured that he was in mortal danger, and the French judiciary against the alleged perpetrator now for "attempted murder". determined.

For Sow, the misconduct was because "criminals on both sides" were at work.

"I hope I don't have to experience anything like this again and this time the focus will be on the sport."

Philipp Reschke, among others, should see to that.

The 50-year-old lawyer has been responsible for fan affairs on the Eintracht board since late summer.

"It's a game that's being watched very closely by everyone responsible for security," he told FAZ Reschke, reporting that Brehl was released on Tuesday after six weeks in hospitals.

He will follow the game at home in Friedrichsdorf and appealed to the Frankfurt fan scene through Reschke: “Revenge and anger should have no place with us.

Let's show our best side."

So far, Marseille has requested 1,800 of the 2,500 cards made available.

“We also expect problem clients.

The fan separation has the highest priority," said Reschke.

40 buses alone have been announced to Eintracht, which will drive supporters of the Marseille team to Frankfurt.

All visitors can be prepared for extensive admission controls, because the security forces are sensitized to look closely to take any firecrackers away from crackheads, some of which the Olympique fanatics in Marseille could bring in unlimited amounts in sports bags.