Schalke are set to receive a reduced amount of tickets for their derby match at Borussia Dortmund after their fans threatened to boycott the fixture.
According to Sport Bild, Schalke will receive 6,000 tickets for the fixture on November 8 rather than the usual allocation for visiting supporters to the Westfalenstadion of 8,200.
However, whether even this many Schalke suppoprters will attend is in some doubt, after fans called for a boycott in protest at the conditions imposed by local police on their movements to and from the stadium on matchday.
Dortmund police want all Schalke fans to congregate in one area, from where they will be escorted to and from the stadium on buses.
“Schalke have decided not to dictate to our own fans how they should make their way to the stadium,” a Schalke club statement read. “We are also rejecting the introduction of personalised tickets with vouchers.
“Schalke would like to ask all of our fans to distance themselves from any violence or criminal damage, and not to burn any pyrotechnic material or provoke anybody, and they should distance themselves from anybody who should think differently to this.”
The derby has been the scene of violence in recent seasons, leading to the police call for changes, such as a reduction in the number of visiting fans and more control over their movements.
Copa90 produced this film detailing the background to one of German football’s most passionate rivalry.
