If this is football, let it die was a popular slogan in the 1980s in Britain that was suffering under the stranglehold of violated. It seems, many people in Germany will think the same when seeing the images from Magdeburg on Saturday.

The following is an extract from nurderfcm.de, who like me, attended the football match between FC Magdeburg vs. Dynamo Dresden.

I am tired. Tired and pissed off. So much so, that i can’t find the energy to enrage myself. It has come so far and yet there is so much positive to say about the match. For example, that FC Magdeburg played really well for more then an hour and kept Dynamo at bay. Dresden, top of the league and basically promoted, was not even in the match. There was a continuous wave of attack rolling towards the Dynamo goal; they should be grateful to their keeper Wiegers that they were not trailing 4-0 or even more at half-time. I could add the atmosphere – until the match was interrupted after Dresden equalized – amazing! All that could be written. Could be, if there not all the side noise which have become the main talking point after the match. This narrative tells of 700 Dynamo fans that were not allowed to enter. It talks about fireworks thrown into the Magdeburg section, people who pose in front of the away section with a banner, of water cannons being used after the match to disperse Magdeburg who were vying for blood from Dynamo supporters.

The main stream media have their reports ready and they sound deadly familiar. Examples: Rowdys, injured police, aggressive fans, pepper spray, football, Magdeburg, Dresden. This fixture deserves better than this!

Indeed, events off the pitch still dominate the press coverage. This was a sporting contest that was highly anticipated, had correctly the tag ‘match of the day’ attached to it and delivered. Magdeburg played Dresden almost off the park. It was indeed fortunate that after 45 minutes the score was only 1-0 to the home side. It was flattering for Dresden. This was not the same Dresden who dominated the league as they wished from day 1 back in late July.

All parties concerned and involved should be taken to account. Magdeburg need to explain why they denied some 700 Dynamo supporters access to the match, when surely only a small number was responsible for the carnage that followed. Dynamo Dresden have shown that there is an element among their support that has nothing to do with football. Sure, this is the case almost everywhere in football but it has become blatantly obvious on Saturday. The club themselves have reported ashamedly about incidents at Magdeburg but also in Dresden where the party was marred by people ready to cause mayhem among supporters. This match will have consequences and it is certain that no club in Bundesliga 2 wants to have Dynamo supporters anywhere near their town, their stadium. Given the potential hotspots, trouble seems pre-programmed for next season: Union Berlin and possibly RB Leipzig, should they fail to win promotion.

There is a sour aftertaste that will linger on for some time. Magdeburg are on a good path, Dynamo will have to prove themselves in division 2. Events before, during and after the match need to be discussed with all parties concerned and the necessary consequences need to be drawn.