# 2011 Zurich hooligan incident > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/wiki/page_0048 > Last updated: 2026-07-07T14:19:15.162Z [Template:Short description](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Short_description&action=edit&redlink=1) On 2 October 2011, the [Swiss Football League](/mw/index.php?title=Swiss_Football_League&action=edit&redlink=1) game between [FC Zürich](/mw/index.php?title=FC_Z%C3%BCrich&action=edit&redlink=1) and [Grasshopper Club Zürich](/mw/index.php?title=Grasshopper_Club_Z%C3%BCrich&action=edit&redlink=1) (known as the [Zürich derby](/mw/index.php?title=Z%C3%BCrich_Derby&action=edit&redlink=1)) at [Letzigrund Stadium](/mw/index.php?title=Letzigrund&action=edit&redlink=1) saw an incident of [football hooliganism](/mw/index.php?title=Football_hooliganism&action=edit&redlink=1). The game had to be abandoned with approximately 15 minutes of regular time to go. Also dubbed the "**Disgrace of Zürich**" ([Template:Langx](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Langx&action=edit&redlink=1)) by Swiss media,[1] this incident represented a second major episode of hooligan violence in Switzerland within five years, after a [hooligan incident of similar significance](/mw/index.php?title=2006_Basel_hooligan_incident&action=edit&redlink=1) occurred in [Basel](/mw/index.php?title=Basel&action=edit&redlink=1) in 2006. ## Contents - [1 Incident](#Incident) - [1.1 Cause of the incident](#Cause_of_the_incident) - [2 Aftermath](#Aftermath) - [3 External links](#External_links) - [4 References](#References) ## Incident During the 74th minute of the match, with Grasshopper Club Zürich leading 2-1, a masked FC Zürich fan threw a lit flare into the Grasshopper Club Zürich fan sector. No one was seriously injured at this stage. However, the incident incited a violent reaction from the Grasshopper Club Zürich fans. Several dozen masked Grasshopper Club Zürich fans rushed towards the fence separating the two groups and attempted to fight back with flagpoles.[2] The referee was forced to abandon the match due to safety concerns. Six people were injured in the riot that ensued.[3] FC Zürich was forced to forfeit the match with a 0-3 score and play their next derby match without any spectators. Both teams were also fined 50,000 Swiss Francs.[4] ### Cause of the incident The FC Zürich fan's actions were reportedly a retaliation for an earlier provocation by Grasshopper Club Zürich fans. Earlier in the day, Grasshopper Club Zürich fans stole FC Zürich fan banners and displayed them with a message mocking FC Zürich. This act is considered a serious offense in [ultra](/mw/index.php?title=Ultras&action=edit&redlink=1) fan culture.[5] ## Aftermath The incident raised questions about how Switzerland deals with hooligan violence at matches, with calls for enhanced security at Letzigrund Stadium.[6] In its aftermath, several experts contrasted Switzerland's failure to deal with the problem with [England's](/mw/index.php?title=England&action=edit&redlink=1) ability to gain the upper hand in [its struggle against hooliganism](/mw/index.php?title=Football_hooliganism_in_the_United_Kingdom&action=edit&redlink=1) in the 1990s.[7] The incident also made the news in Germany, with football commentary portal kicker.de featuring a story headlined "*The Disgrace of Zurich shocks Switzerland"*.[8] In 2014, Reuters called it Switzerland's "most serious incident".[9] The FC Zürich fan who threw the flare was eventually identified and sentenced to a 13-month suspended prison sentence and a 500 Swiss Franc fine. His initial sentence was a two-year suspended prison term,[10] which he successfully appealed to the Swiss Supreme Court. Switzerland's highest court cancelled his two-year sentence and remanded the case back to the Zurich High Court, which then gave him a lower sentence.[11] ## External links - [Official Report from local Zurich television station (Youtube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKQ_2-YomWA) ## References [Template:Reflist](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Reflist&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-1) [Template:Cite news](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_news&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-2) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-3) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-4) [Template:Cite news](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_news&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-5) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-6) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-7) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-8) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-9) [Template:Cite news](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_news&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-10) [Template:Cite news](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_news&action=edit&redlink=1) 1. [↑](#cite_ref-11) [Template:Cite web](/mw/index.php?title=Template:Cite_web&action=edit&redlink=1) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [2011 Zurich hooligan incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Zurich_hooligan_incident) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Zurich_hooligan_incident?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.