Heavy fine: DFB defends itself against criticism from Cologne

Soccer - Heavy fine: DFB defends itself against criticism from Cologne

The German Football Association(DFB) has defended itself against criticism from Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln following the heavy fine for fan misconduct. "Of course, we cannot accept the DFB's unreflected assessment of incidents," the association said in response to an inquiry from WDR. The DFB defended the procedure, which was clearly based on the catalog of penalties: "At the time, the clubs wanted the penalties imposed to be as comparable and transparent as possible."

The club had been served with an application for a fine of 595,000 euros for setting off pyrotechnics in the home match in the derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The club could invest 198,000 euros of this in its own security and violence prevention measures. In response, FC managing director Christian Keller railed: "The awarding of association fines in this form is far removed from the reality of German soccer and fan culture." The club will therefore apply to the DFB Control Committee to significantly reduce the fine.

The amount of the fine is based on a guideline for the Control Committee, the DFB argued. Accordingly, Bundesliga clubs must pay a fine of 1000 euros per pyrotechnic object that is set off. A fine of 3000 euros is included for each item set off. If a match is interrupted or delayed as a result, the penalty is doubled after five minutes.

Club announcement

Read also:

• A clan member is punished here
• Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
• Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
• He also wanted to kill his cousin

1. Despite criticisms from 1. FC Cologne, the German soccer association (DFB) stood by the heavy fine imposed for fan misconduct during a Bundesliga match.
2. WDR, a German broadcaster, received a response from the DFB, stating that their assessment of incidents was not unreflective and the fine was based on the catalog of penalties.
3. The fine against 1. FC Cologne was mainly because of pyrotechnics used during a derby match against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
4. As per DFB guidelines, each pyrotechnic object set off incurs a fine of 1000 euros, and any interruption or delay to the match doubles the penalty after five minutes.
5. Cologne's managing director, Christian Keller, criticized the fine, saying it diverges from the reality of German soccer and fan culture, and the club would appeal to the DFB Control Committee to significantly reduce it.

Source: www.stern.de