On Friday, representatives of the DFB, the DFL and politicians discussed security in German football stadiums. This is what came out of it.
Politicians are putting pressure on football and demanding more security for spectators around matches. The German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) take a differentiated view of the issue, and fan organizations are fighting back.
Before the summit began, Hans-Joachim Watzke contradicted the accusation from politicians that football has a big problem with fan violence. “I think that the football experience is very peaceful,” said Watzke before entering the conference 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 is the case throughout society.”
Watzke thinks that the issue is being exaggerated. “You can compare it to the Oktoberfest,” he said, adding that the number of injuries is similar. “I read that the Bavarian police wrote at the Oktoberfest that it was a peaceful, happy festival. And we are meeting here today under the heading of “Violence in Football”. That somehow doesn’t quite fit. You have to try to get the right proportions.”
Ban on pyrotechnics in stadiums remains in place
After the summit, one thing is clear: representatives from politics and professional football are sticking to a ban on pyrotechnics in German football stadiums. “We are not talking about a huge catastrophe, but nonetheless it is simply dangerous. And we are the organizer and therefore we cannot allow it,” said Watzke.
Pyrotechnics have “very little to do with the actual football game,” explained Watzke. The 65-year-old admitted that he understood the discussion, but according to current standards it is not possible to allow pyrotechnics. “But everyone was completely in agreement on that,” said Watzke after the meeting.
Fan organization accuses politicians of “ignorance”
The organization “Our Curve” has reacted to the measures taken at the football security summit with a mixture of criticism and sarcasm. “When ignorance reigns…”, the fan alliance began its statement after the meeting between politicians and leading football bosses: “Hundreds of thousands of stadium-goers are surprised by a supposed problem that doesn’t even exist. To be clear in advance: There is hardly a safer event than a professional football match in Germany.”
This is proven by police statistics. The supporters believe that introducing a central stadium ban commission with uniform criteria for violent fans makes little sense. “Local stadium ban commissions have proven their worth for more than 10 years,” said spokesman Thomas Kessen: “In contrast to the repression demanded, ways are being found here that actually lead to behavioral changes and further developments among delinquents.”
When it comes to pyrotechnics, politicians must first “get to the necessary facts” before discussing details. “Pyrotechnics in its basic form are pure fan culture, which is celebrated in a small part of the stadium and provides a pleasant image for the rest of the stadium,” said Unsere-Kurve board member Thomas Jost on BR: “Unfortunately, in the past ten years there has always been a mixture of pyrotechnics and violence, or the use of pyrotechnics as a weapon.” However, both were punished.
These were the most important questions in advance of today’s security summit in Munich:
What’s next?
On Friday, the top politicians will meet with the bosses of the associations at the football security summit in Munich. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann will be there. They will speak 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. It is about tougher action against violent offenders in the stadiums, the handling of pyrotechnics, stricter controls, an extension of penalties, possible sanctions against the clubs and, last but not least, the costs of police operations.
What are the demands?
Herrmann goes the furthest in his role as current chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers. Herrmann demands that clubs “consistently issue stadium bans for violent offenders”. Collective punishments should also be discussed, as should summary courts. At the same time, Herrmann threatened clubs with consequences if they are negligent – among other things, so-called “ghost games” could be imposed. Herrmann considers personalized tickets “very worth considering” as this would “deter some potential offenders”. As a last resort, he did not rule out abandoning games. The risk of injuries is particularly high.