Two other officers were hurt yesterday when they protected the officer after he was knocked down by the hooligans and kicked in the head and body during Bochum's 2-2 draw, police said today.

One officer had face wounds, another had hand injuries, and the hospitalized officer could be paralyzed.

"It could be very dangerous, but we won't know until tomorrow when experts look at him," Bochum police captain Thomas Achtelik said.

Police arrested two men but said it wasn't clear whether they were hooligans, which Achtelik described as aggressive "ultras" — Germany's most hardcore hooligans.

Karlsruhe fans were tossed from the stadium just before kickoff for fighting. Outside they were joined by about 100 hooligans, police said. Together they tried to crash the stadium gates, overwhelming security personnel and resulting in the fight with police.