Raucous FC Koln Fans Descend on North London, Delaying Europa League Match with Arsenal

FC Koln is returning to European competition, but their match against Arsenal is delayed after clashes with authorities.

The Europa League match between Arsenal and FC Koln was delayed Thursday after Koln fans clashed with authorities at Emirates Stadium.

Supporters of the Bundesliga club tried to enter the home supporters' section of Emirates Stadium. Video of the scenes showed clashes turning violent, and the match was postponed by an hour, with Arsenal claiming "The kick-off of #AFCvCOL has been delayed by an hour in the interests of crowd safety" on its official Twitter account.

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— Arsène's Son 🎈 (@hughwizzy) September 14, 2017

As a reminder, Arsenal qualified for the Europa League after finishing fifth last season, its worst Premier League finish in the Arsene Wenger era. Meanwhile, FC Koln last appeared in a major continental competition in 1992-93, so 20,000 fans are expected to descend upon London to celebrate.

Earlier, the scenes were more commendable, with Koln fans boisterously marching through the streets of London ahead of the match.

I don't speak German, but I assume they're chanting "Wenger In."