Hansa Rostock fans shower pitch with bananas

The hate fueled and often violent northern derby between Hansa Rostock and St. Pauli was once again a spectacle for reasons unrelated to football. Prior to their 2. Bundesliga match on Saturday, fans threw enough bananas to feed a competitive eater, prompting a pre-match game of "put the bananas in the sack" played by club staff.

Once the match actually started, things only got worse. Scarves were burned and the pyrotechnics came out when visiting St. Pauli scored first in the 40th minute. The Hansa fans fired rockets at the traveling supporters, causing the match to be halted for 10 minutes. When play resumed, St. Pauli went on to win 3-1, with the help of a little umbrella protection when they took corner kicks...

{ysp:more}

The trouble actually began the night before, though. Masked men attacked Police headquarters in Rostock, setting off fireworks, throwing stones and breaking windows. They also tried to light a dumpster on fire. No one was hurt, but €5,000 worth of damage was done. Suspecting it was St. Pauli fans behind the attack, this might've been why the Hansa fans threw all those bananas. Or maybe they were just proving to Sepp Blatter that racism is still very much alive in football.

Here's video of the rocket that was fired just as play was being halted...

Photos: Getty