A planned paraglider flyover by a Greenpeace supporter went awry and injured several spectators at the France v Germany UEFA cup match. A few supporters were injured by falling debris as the parachute snagged camera wires overhead. The debris fell on the grandstand and the pitch.
The glider had the words ‘Greenpeace’ and ‘Kick Out Oil’ written over it. Technical problems forced the parachutist to attempt a landing in the stadium, though it was planned as a fly-past. Two people were injured and Greenpeace deeply regretted the incident that had placed the spectators of the France v Germany match in grave danger.
Greenpeace Apologizes For The Incident
Greenpeace has apologized for the incident and their spokesman Benjamin Stephan said that the glider was never supposed to enter the stadium. The paraglider was to pass over and drop a protest message contained in a ball onto the stadium.
They said that a technical glitch caused the crash. A failure in the hand throttle of the para-motor caused the glider to lose altitude just over the stadium.
The protestor made a heavy landing on the playing area after his paraglider got caught in the spider camera that hangs over the playing area. He was escorted off the pitch after preliminary treatment. Two other spectators were injured.
UEFA Reacts Strongly To Incident At France V Germany Match
The UEFA has come out strongly and called the act dangerous and reckless. They further said that law authorities would take the required action.
Didier Deschamps had to take evasive action as a large chunk of equipment fell close to the dugout.
There had been a similar incident involving Greenpeace and the UEFA including an incident in 2013 when activists abseiled from the roof onto the pitch.
The UEFA released a statement on the incident. It said that a protestor intruded onto the pitch before kickoff at the France v Germany Euro 2021 match being played in Basel in Munich.
They further condemned the inconsiderate act that had the potential of causing serious injuries in the crowded playing area. Players too were on the pitch and any crash could have caused severe injuries and even fatal incidents.
UEFA said that while it was fully committed to a sustainable tournament, it regretted that several people were injured in the France v Germany match through the irresponsible act. It said that they are fully committed to a sustainable tournament, and they have taken initiatives to offset emissions.
Several people had to be admitted to the hospital. Greenpeace said that the protest was against Volkswagen, the main sponsor. They were demanding a halt to the manufacture and sale of diesel and petrol cars. The Match was won by France from an own goal scored by Mats Hummels in the first half.
