Tourism boss sees damage to the region’s image

The managing director of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Tourism Association sees the repeated riots by FC Hansa Rostock football fans as causing major damage to the image of the popular holiday region. “To be honest: When you see what headlines Rostock is making – in the fog of horror in Gransee – then you throw your hands up over your head,” said Tobias Woitendorf to the “Ostsee-Zeitung”. This is an “absolutely negative factor for tourism”.

The 49-year-old called on those responsible for the third division soccer team to take action. “Hansa is the strongest brand this city and the country have. “It is all the more important that those responsible take care of this brand and finally rehearse the rebellion of decent people and say, let’s do something here,” said Woitendorf.

Before Rostock’s home game against Rot-Weiss Essen, Hansa fans allegedly attacked a train carrying Essen fans last Saturday near the town of Gransee in Brandenburg. This is one of the reasons why five long-standing FC Hansa supervisory board members announced their resignation two days later. The main sponsor of the second division relegated team had already terminated its partnership with the Rostock team this season.