Cologne fans disguised themselves as Arsenal supporters to watch the match they could not bear to miss

Back on the big stage | Cologne are competing is European competition for the first time in 25 years
Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Archie Rhind-Tutt15 September 2017

To say that Cologne has been buzzing about the prospect of European football in the past few months would be an understatement.

The city is football crazy, and dominated by FC Cologne. A crowd of 50,000 regularly pack into the RheinEnergieStadion for home games. When the club finished fifth in May, securing automatic qualification for the Europa League, there was absolute pandemonium. Thousands poured onto the pitch at Cologne’s home, with some brought to tears - Cologne were back in European football for the first time in 25 years.

It was guaranteed, wherever they went in Europe, that thousands would follow them.

One of their supporters at the Emirates was Marcel, a Cologne fan in his 20s. He was not at all surprised by how many fellow supporters had joined him.

FC Cologne fans take over London ahead Arsenal match

“All these fans have known is relegation after relegation,” he said, with Cologne enduring five in the past 20 years alone.

Being in Europe was already a big deal, but drawing Arsenal cranked the excitement up to another level.

English teams are revered by plenty of German fans for their tradition. Playing a club of Arsenal’s prestige was always going to be considered a massive coup.

There were fans I know who booked flights and trains regardless of whether they could get tickets to the game - they just wanted to be in London to see their team. This was their cup final.

It didn’t matter to them if they had to pay over £100 for a ticket, which at face value would have only cost them £17, as quite a few did. All that mattered was being there.

Cologne fans at Emirates

There were some fans too who were not aware and, would not have known, how things work when it comes to segregating supporters in England.

At Bundesliga games every weekend, you will see away fans sitting amongst the home end and there will not be a problem, even if there are some home areas still carry restrictions.

Cologne in pictures

1/9

Overall, the atmosphere when it comes to segregation is a lot more relaxed than in the Premier League but it’s obviously dependent on which stadium.

Upon learning this, and being fearful of not being let in to the stadium, there were Cologne fans who decided to leave their club shirts at home, bought Arsenal scarves and some even changed the wallpaper on their phones to the Arsenal crest.

They just wanted to get in and support their team. As London discovered on Thursday afternoon, Cologne fans do that loudly.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Cologne | 14/09/17

1/37

It’s understandable that those Arsenal fans who ended up being surrounded by them may have found the whole situation incredibly intimidating, but these are two clubs with polar opposite atmospheres. The RheinEnergieStadion is a lot more boisterous and noisier than the Emirates usually is on a matchday.

That does not excuse what happened to some stewards and fans on Thursday evening. Like most clubs, Cologne has a small proportion of fans who are prone to causing trouble but that was not the aim of the vast majority who did make it inside the Emirates.