On Friday, representatives of the DFB, the DFL, and politicians discussed safety in German soccer stadiums. Here are the results.

Politicians are putting pressure on soccer and demanding more safety for spectators at games. The German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) take a differentiated view of the issue, while fan organizations are resisting.

Before the summit began, Hans-Joachim Watzke rejected accusations from politicians that football has a major problem with fan violence. “I think the football experience is very peaceful,” Watzke said before entering the meeting room at Munich Airport.

The long-time Dortmund manager and chairman of the supervisory board of the German Football League (DFL) admitted that “there are always excesses, but that’s the case throughout society.”

Watzke believes that the issue is being exaggerated. “You can compare it to Oktoberfest,” he said, pointing out that the number of injuries is similar. “I read that the Bavarian police reported that Oktoberfest was a peaceful, joyful festival. And here we are today meeting under the heading ‘Violence in soccer’. Somehow, that doesn’t quite fit. We have to try to put things into perspective.”

Pyrotechnics ban in stadiums remains in place

After the summit, one thing is clear: representatives from politics and professional soccer are sticking to a ban on pyrotechnics in German soccer stadiums. “We’re not talking about a huge disaster, but nonetheless, it’s simply dangerous. And we are the organizers, so we can’t allow it,” said Watzke.

Pyrotechnics have “very little to do” with the actual game of soccer, Watzke explained. The 65-year-old acknowledged that he understood the discussion. However, according to current standards, it is not possible to allow pyrotechnics. “Everyone was in complete agreement on that,” Watzke said after the meeting.

Fan organization accuses politicians of “ignorance”

The organization “Unsere Kurve” (Our Curve) has responded to the measures taken at the security summit for soccer with a mixture of criticism and sarcasm. “When ignorance reigns…” was how the fan alliance began its statement after the meeting between politicians and leading soccer bosses: “Hundreds of thousands of stadium-goers are wondering about a supposed problem that doesn’t even exist. To be clear from the outset: there is hardly a safer event than a professional soccer game in Germany.”

This is proven by police statistics. The supporters consider the introduction of a central stadium ban commission with uniform criteria for violent fans to be of little use. “Local stadium ban commissions have proven themselves over more than 10 years,” said spokesman Thomas Kessen: ‘In contrast to the repression that is being called for, ways are being found here that actually lead to behavioral changes and further development among offenders.’

On the subject of pyrotechnics, politicians must first ‘get up to speed’ before discussing details. “Pyrotechnics in its basic form is pure fan culture, celebrated in a small part of the stadium and presenting a pleasant picture for the rest of the stadium,” said Unsere-Kurve board member Thomas Jost on BR: ‘Unfortunately, over the past ten years, there has always been a mixture of pyrotechnics and violence, or rather the use of pyrotechnics as a weapon.’ However, both have been punished.

These were the most important questions ahead of today’s security summit in Munich:

What’s on the agenda?

On Friday, top politicians will meet with association bosses at the soccer security summit in Munich. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann will be there. They will talk with DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, DFL Supervisory Board Chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke, and DFL Managing Director Marc Lenz. The range of topics raised by politicians is immense. They include tougher measures against violent offenders in stadiums, the handling of pyrotechnics, stricter controls, an expansion of penalties, possible sanctions against clubs, and, last but not least, the costs of police operations.

What are the demands?

Herrmann goes furthest in his role as current chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers. Herrmann is calling for clubs to “consistently ban violent offenders from stadiums.” Collective punishments should also be discussed, as should summary courts. At the same time, Herrmann threatened clubs with consequences for negligence—including the imposition of so-called “ghost games.” Herrmann considers personalized tickets “very worth considering,” as this would “deter some potential offenders.” As a last resort, he did not rule out canceling games. The risk of injury is high, especially with pyrotechnics, and Herrmann even spoke of “danger to life.”

What do colleagues say?

Bremen’s Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer has spoken out in favor of changing the penalties for pyrotechnic offenses and is proposing a points deduction. In this way, “on the one hand, the clubs would be hit much harder, which could lead them to carry out more thorough searches at the entrance,” Mäurer explained. In addition, those responsible in the fan block would be “under significantly greater pressure not to commit any more offences for the good of their team.”

What is the view of the football world?

It wants to defuse the debate. Watzke therefore finds Herrmann’s statements a thorn in his side: “There’s no denying that we have a problem. But I didn’t like the strong rhetoric,” the DFB vice president told Bild newspaper: “That was a bit too much.”

What are the DFB and DFL planning?

The Stadium Safety Working Group has made several recommendations. These include metal detectors at entrances, the sharing of videos and photos with the police, increased dialogue with fans, and more prevention. The number of fan representatives is to be increased and social work strengthened. At the same time, there should be a clearer distinction when it comes to punishing pyrotechnics. The working group rejected collective punishments, which have not been imposed by the DFB Sports Court since 2017.

How big is the problem actually?

The security situation is reflected in the annual report of the Central Information Office for Sports Operations (ZIS) of the police. The latest figures refer to the 2022/23 season. According to these figures, 1,176 people were injured in connection with matches in the Bundesliga, the 2nd division, and the 3rd division. ZIS director Oliver Strudthoff called for more consistent enforcement of stadium bans in an interview with Sportschau. According to the DFB, the unauthorized use of pyrotechnics has “increased significantly” in 2022/23, and the ZIS also reports a significant increase in this area and points out the dangers.

What about the fan organizations?

They are absent in Munich – and they are furious. “Once again, people are talking about the fans instead of with them,” writes board member Linda Röttig from the umbrella organization of fan support groups in a letter to Faeser, which was published on X: “We also have serious concerns that the composition of the meeting will paint a very one-sided picture of the current situation in and around the stadiums.” Röttig described Herrmann’s statements as “horror stories that have nothing to do with reality.”