Arsenal favourite faces police pyro probe

Robin Bairner

• 24 Oct 2024 11:17 BST
• 2 min read

Former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski faces a police investigation into claims that he lit a flare during a party to celebrate his retirement from professional football.

A fortnight ago, a gala match was held in honour of his career, which saw him turn out with Bayern Munich, FC Koln, Arsenal and Galatasaray among others.

More than 50,000 fans turned up to say goodbye to one of their favourites, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany and boasted a reputation as one of football’s good guys.

Podolski’s farewell party naturally attracted a good deal of attention. So when numerous images of him allegedly lighting a flare appeared, that caught the attention of local authorities.

Bild reports: “The Cologne police are investigating ‘Poldi’ because setting off pyrotechnics in German stadiums is prohibited and is an administrative offence. The city is responsible for collecting the fine. Poldi will probably receive a hearing notice in the mail in the next few days.”

The match had previously caught headlines for negative reasons as there were scenes of violence between fans and police officers. It is claimed that a Polish hooligan threatened a FC Koln employee with a knife while 14 police were injured.

Arsenal fans love Podolski

Podolski, who now owns a chain of kebab shops across Germany, might only have played with Arsenal for three seasons – spending six months of that on loan at Inter Milan – but he remains a favourite of the supporters.

During his time with the Gunners, he played a total of 82 matches, with a reasonable return of 31 goals, including 19 in the Premier League. His attitude on the field was another reason fans loved him.

Since his departure from the Emirates Stadium, his reputation with the fans of the North London club has only grown thanks to his presence on social media.

Podolski has always been quick to defend his former side, while his habit of taking the mickey out of rivals Tottenham has won him further acclaim at Arsenal.