Club Statement Regarding Hartberg vs Rapid

In addition to Sunday’s sporting disappointment in defeat, incidents that occurred in the away sector of the stadium also made for negative headlines.

The SK Rapid Presidium & Management would like to make the following comments on these events:

First of all, we wish those people who were injured in the course of the incidents a speedy recovery. We also regret that the majority of the Rapid fans present in the visitors' sector, including many children, young people and women who were simply innocent bystanders, were negatively affected by the events. As SK Rapid, we condemn any form of violence, and naturally distance ourselves from it. The fact is that there is no justification for throwing objects at other people and damaging property. Violence is unacceptable, and as a club we will sanction those individuals who are identified as misbehaving in this context using the means available to us as a club. We will of course cooperate with the relevant authorities in the investigation.

We regret the damage to the image of SK Rapid and Austrian football as a whole caused by the incidents and the associated images and negative headlines. We would like to thank our hosts TSV Hartberg for their cooperation, and echo the words of their president Brigitte Annerl. As SK Rapid, we will continue to focus on dialogue in our fan work, but regardless of this, we will also impose penalties on individuals identified as being responsible for such gross misconduct.