Eight fans were taken to hospital before Bochum hosted Nurnberg after fireworks and flares were lit in the fans' enclosure.

Two were confirmed to have serious injuries while the other six were also treated in hospital as the conduct of the visiting fans overshadowed an otherwise welcome 0-0 draw for Nurnberg coach Dieter Hecking.

"That is ridiculous," said Hecking. "There is a bit of stupidity involved and it must be condemned."

Director of sport Martin Bader also hopes the behaviour of his club's fans will improve.

He told n-tv television: "I cannot understand it in the slightest. It is stupid and dangerous.

"I hope that the people who were injured recover quickly and that the police have clear images of it."

There was no condemnation for his team's performance on the field, even if it did not quite match the quality they had shown in the 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich last weekend.

And Hecking is confident they will manage to climb out of the relegation zone.

"I am optimistic," declared Hecking. "It didn't look pretty, but we just lacked the last touch in front of goal.

"We have got to change that in the coming weeks because we want to find a way out (of danger)."