That’s why fewer fans are traveling to Dresden than expected

Representatives from politics and football discussed safety when visiting the stadium on Friday. VfL Bochum is also taking a position.

The results of the security summit with representatives from politics and professional football on this Friday in Munich were eagerly awaited.

Fans do not have to prepare for major changes, however. The introduction of a central stadium ban commission was decided upon. Also a permanent joint commission with representatives from football, politics and fan circles.

The meeting did not bring about any further innovations, three points were primarily discussed: the central stadium ban commission, the political proposal to only sell personalized tickets and the ban on pyrotechnics.

In the afternoon, VfL Bochum took a position on these three topics. The Bochum team is critical of the idea of ​​personalized tickets. These are largely personalized anyway due to online sales. In the standing area, however, 100% traceability cannot be guaranteed. “The demand for exclusively personalized tickets will inevitably lead to the abolition of standing places,” writes VfL – and warns: “This would not only be unattractive for the active fan scene, but also for (television) viewers, as the atmosphere in the stadium could suffer.”

On the ban on pyrotechnics in the stadium, which remains in place, the Bochum team emphasizes: “The misuse of pyrotechnics is often cited as an argument for a feeling of insecurity in the stadiums. It is true that the use of pyrotechnics has increased since the Corona pandemic and high fines have so far shown no increased deterrent effect.” However, data from recent years prove “that visiting a football stadium is very safe overall: Less than one percent of football-related crimes occur in the stadium itself, while the majority occur on the way to and from the stadium.”

VfL Bochum: Independent stadium ban commission already exists

With regard to the introduction of a central stadium ban commission, VfL pointed out that it had set up an independent commission over ten years ago – as the first German club to do so. This works well. “Nevertheless, we naturally accept the decision of the security conference and will continue to closely monitor and monitor the concrete implementation in the future.”

The Revierklub added to its statement that “we as an association are by no means against measures, but only for measures that actually have a lasting effect and are supported by all those involved.” In principle, instead of populism, the debate needs a solution-oriented and fact-based approach that includes all relevant stakeholders.