Arsenal’s Europa League match against Cologne has been delayed by an hour in the interests of security amid safety concerns.
The announcement comes after reports of Cologne fans storming the barriers at the away end as police try and deal with the situation.
The public address system relayed the news to supporters inside the ground, while the official Arsenal Twitter account posted: “The kick-off of #AFCvCOL has been delayed by an hour in the interests of crowd safety.”
The game will now kick off at 9.05pm instead of 8.05pm.
There are still thousands of fans outside the ground – the Islington Gazette spoke with one fan Mika who is outside the Emirates near the away end.
She said: “I can see massive queues and people walking in all directions.
“There are still many people outside the ground.”
The incident comes after thousands of Cologne fans marched through central London earlier in the day letting off red flares along Wardour Street.
Manchester United fan, writer and editor of long-running fanzine United We Stand Andy Mitten posted on Twitter from outside the Emirates: “I tried to get in from main bridge one hour before kick-off. Packed with Koln fans - being held back. Estimated 20,000 Koln fans; 2,900 tickets.”
More to follow
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