Politics and soccer commemorate advancement - spectators voice disapproval
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Are all soccer enthusiasts lawbreakers? Negatively, even Bavaria's Interior Minister Herrmann has to concede that soccer doesn't have a violence issue. Regardless, politics and organizations are taking more severe actions. Fan groups slam these as populist.
With stern expressions, Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke listened to Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann's opening and critical remarks. After three hours of sometimes heated discussion, the top representatives of the DFB and DFL appeared less tense - and not unhappy. At a soccer security conference in Munich, sports and politics agreed on a firmer stance against individual violent offenders. Fans, despite widespread apprehension beforehand, have been initially spared from collective sanctions.
A central committee will now impose and monitor stadium bans. This is the most significant outcome of the discussions held at Munich Airport. The committee's composition, functioning methods, and additional details still need to be determined.
"From now on, it will no longer be up to individual clubs to decide whether to initiate a procedure and whether they consider it necessary to impose a nationwide stadium ban," said Herrmann, who was invited to the meeting as the chairman of the Sports Ministers' Conference. One of the criticisms of the clubs in the top three leagues was that they didn't consistently take action against troublemakers - or even gave in to them.
"Soccer as a whole does not have a violence problem"
"This was a real breakthrough," summarized Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster and announced that he would henceforth maintain regular communication with soccer representatives. "I'm leaving Munich with an extremely positive feeling."
The top meeting had been viewed critically beforehand. Clubs and fan representatives accused politics of populism. According to the DFL, 96 percent of stadium visitors stated in a representative fan study that they felt safe during a match day. "Soccer as a whole does not have a violence problem," even Interior Minister Herrmann said.
DFB President Neuendorf tried to counter some harsh statements from politics with an exaggerated comment: "No, the meltdown has not yet occurred and will not occur." However, he admitted: "Every case is one too many." He wants to involve fans in the work of the new committee in the future. "We must make those affected participants," said Neuendorf.
According to the Central Information Office for Sports Activities (ZIS), around 26.5 million people attended the games of the Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, 3. Liga, DFB Cup, and UEFA club competitions in the 2022/23 season. A total of 1,176 injured people were registered, 220 of whom were police officers. A balance sheet for the latest 2023/24 season is not yet available.
Collective penalties avoided
A demand from politics that football representatives could ward off: Some federal states proposed collective penalties such as ghost games or partial closure of stands to deter violent or troublemaking fans. This was briefly mentioned but not further pursued, according to Herrmann. In other European countries like Italy, tribune sections - for example, of away fans - are regularly closed. However, no significant decrease in disturbances can be observed.
There's unanimous agreement between sports and politics that the use of pyrotechnics will remain banned. "It's simply dangerous," said DFL Supervisory Board Chairman Watzke. The clubs are the organizers of the games "and consequently, we cannot allow it. That's clear and has little to do with the actual soccer game."
Fan Association Criticizes "Arbitrary" Procedures
Criticism from the Fan Association came immediately after the meeting. "The formation of a central committee for processing stadium bans announced today means a clear tightening and more repression against soccer fans," said Linda Röttig, board member of the umbrella organization of fan support groups. "Stadium bans are already largely issued arbitrarily and without completed court proceedings. The DFB and DFL are too far removed to individually assess incidents. If this approach is now even tightened, it massively contradicts the principles of the rule of law. Fans will resist this approach decisively."
The fan organization "Our Curve" also sees the new measure as ineffective. "Local stadium ban commissions have proven themselves over more than ten years," it said. Moreover, maintaining the ban on pyrotechnics would be ineffective. "Exactly what was predicted by the fans has now happened - populist demands are shouted out, but there's no sign of expertise. That's what happens when you don't talk with each other, but only over each other," said Thomas Kessen, spokesperson for "Our Curve".
The sports and political representatives reached an agreement to take a stronger stance against individual violent offenders in football league events, aiming to curb any violent behavior. Despite initial concerns, fans have initially escaped collective sanctions following the discussions.
In response to the formation of a central committee to impose and monitor stadium bans, the Fan Association criticized the move as a tightening of repression against soccer fans, arguing that stadium bans are often issued arbitrarily and without completed court proceedings, contradicting the principles of the rule of law.
