Max Kruse hits back at internet hooligans after game riot

Former Bundesliga professional Max Kruse says he received hate messages after a district league match was abandoned and overshadowed by riots. “It’s those Internet Rambos again,” said the 36-year-old in a Twitch stream. “One of them even insulted my wife.”

He himself was “somewhat upset” after the riots at his team BSV Al Dersimspor II’s match in the Berlin football district league A against Delay Sports, which resulted in a police operation on the sports field in Berlin-Kreuzberg, and had “responded to one or two people”. He wrote to one of them: “If you have the balls, I’ll send you my address now, come over, instead of always writing on the Internet: ‘When I see you, when I see you.'” The person did not respond, however.

Fans storm the pitch

“I can get over it, the guys on my team aren’t used to it,” said the former Bundesliga striker, reporting that his teammates had also been “insulted and written to privately.” “Those who do that: you are no better than those who run onto the pitch and hit someone or throw punches.”

What happened? Delay Sports said on Instagram that the opposing fans had stormed the pitch at the district league game in question and that the game had been abandoned due to physical attacks on Delay players. Such scenes had “nothing to do with football,” said ex-professional Kevin Pannewitz, who worked as Delay’s assistant coach.

Max Kruse: inglorious end

The situation escalated when Delay Sports scored the 3-2 winning goal in injury time after Kruse’s late equalizer. Spectators felt provoked by the guests’ cheering, which Kruse confirmed on Twitch. Nevertheless: “It still doesn’t justify what happened to the fans afterwards.” He thinks it’s “a shame that the game was abandoned.” In football terms, it was a good game, “unfortunately with an inglorious end.”