Stuttgart confirm border skirmish involving ultras
| VfB Stuttgart fans at the MHP Arena earlier this season. | Alex Grimm, Getty Images |
Details remain sketchy at this time, but it has been confirmed by the club itself that about 10 buses transporting supporters of VfB Stuttgart to this evening's Champions' League duel in Belgrade have returned from the Serbian border after issues with the authority. Stuttgart responded to an enquiry lodged by German footballing journalist Benni Hofmann of Kicker Magazine.
In an article published on Kicker's website, Hofmann emphasizes that no concrete information about the incident can be confirmed. The are reports of skirmishes with the Serbian police, potentially related to searches that yielded pyrotechnic material. In any event, a VfB spokesman can only confirm the return of the buses.
A total of 16 buses full of VfB set off for Belgrade today, meaning that the German guests will still have some support inside the stadium. The two teams are scheduled to kick off this evening at 18:45. The team sheets are in confirmed lineups can be found here.
