35 police officers injured in violence at German Cup match

Thirty-five police officers were injured and several football fans detained after violence broke out at Friday's German Cup match between Waldhof Mannheim and Kaiserslautern, police said.

A total of 85 people required medical treatment, with eight taken to hospital. Their injuries were believed to be minor, a police spokeswoman said.

Around 23,500 spectators attended the sold-out match at Mannheim's Carl-Benz Stadium on Friday evening, including some 3,500 away fans.

The atmosphere was heated throughout, with pyrotechnics repeatedly set off in the stands.

The situation escalated after a goalless 90 minutes. Following a confrontation between players on the pitch, some Kaiserslautern supporters fired fireworks into a seating area, prompting Mannheim fans to storm the field.

Police intervened to bring the situation under control.

Police said 35 officers suffered minor injuries. Around 1,400 security personnel were deployed for the match.

The match was briefly in danger of being abandoned and the start of extra time was delayed, but the situation remained calm once play resumed.

Firefighters later extinguished a blaze started by fans in the away section.

Police are investigating a range of suspected offences, including assault, property damage, breach of the peace, attacks on police officers and violations of explosives laws.

"This was not a normal derby. Anyone who misuses football as a stage for violent excesses, deliberately endangers other fans, and, above all, injures security forces, is not a fan, but a criminal," Baden-Württemberg's interior minister Manuel Hagel said.

Kaiserslautern won the match 1-0 with a goal in the final minute of extra-time and advanced to the second round of the Cup.