ROSTOCK GERMANY

SPO4SportsClashes between fans, police hurt 15 after German football gameRostock Germany, Sep 27 DPA Fifteen people, including six police officers, were injured in clashes between fans and police after a football match, police said. After a 3-0 victory for FC Hansa Rostock against FC St. Pauli Friday night, Rostock fans attempted to force their way into the guest section of their home stadium. Police deployed water cannon after the Rostock fans tried to break through a barrier, and witnesses said brawls erupted between police and fans outside the stadium. The fans of both second-division Bundesliga teams did not clash with one another, police spokeswoman Doerte Lembke said. Instead, the unrest took place between fans and police, she said. Police were deciding whether to open an investigation against Rostock fans for rioting, Lembke added. After the Hamburg team departed for home, police tried to clear the area in front of the stadium using two water cannons. Clashes had taken place in the past at matches between the two teams, and fan representatives from both had met ahead of Friday's game to avoid further violence. "There are always people with half a brain," St. Pauli coach Holger Stanislawski said. "You have to try to sort out these people as quickly as possible." Rostock chairman Dirk Grabow had a similar view. "I have no understanding for this," he said. "I don't know what is going on in their heads. Maybe they're empty."--DPAabr/jg267 Words27091112