Umbrella organization of fan support groups: Ban pepper spray in stadiums
Following the serious riots at the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart, the umbrella organization of fan support groups is complaining about increasing police assaults against soccer fans. It is also calling for a ban on pepper sprays in German stadiums. "Instead of showing the supposedly hard edge in preparation for the European Championship 2024 in their own country, the police should focus on communication and de-escalation with the fans," reads a press release issued by the nationwide Fanhilfen association on Monday.
"The renewed escalation of violence by the police against soccer fans, this time in Frankfurt, is the next highlight in a devastating development that has been emerging for months. In the run-up to next year's European Championships in Germany, the police are apparently pursuing a strategy of escalation against fans," explained the umbrella organization of fan support groups.
According to its own information, the specialist organization promotes the interests of soccer fans and supports them in exercising and enforcing their civil rights. "This mix of violence and escalation is extremely dangerous and does not fit in at all with the numbers of crimes and injuries in stadiums, which have been declining nationwide for years," writes the umbrella organization on the current situation, citing an incomplete list of what it considers to be excessive police operations in this season of 16 matches in professional soccer.
According to the police, more than 100 people were injured in Frankfurt on Saturday by police and stewards alone. On the supporters' side, there were 70 injured on Saturday evening, according to a statement by the Frankfurt Fan Aid. A special commission has begun investigations.
Among other things, it is investigating an assault on law enforcement officers, as the Frankfurt police announced late on Sunday evening. The police officers called in by the security service were massively attacked by Eintracht fans when they arrived on the scene, it said. According to Eintracht board member Philipp Reschke, there is "different information and different opinions" about the cause of the riots.
- The umbrella organization of fan support groups also expressed concern about the use of pepper spray by fans during Bundesliga matches, urging for its ban in German stadiums, similar to their call for police restraint.
- Despite the declining crimes and injuries in stadiums across Germany for several years, the intense use of force by the police during the recent Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart has been causing concern among soccer fans.
- The violence and escalation seen in the incidents between the police and soccer fans during Bundesliga matches, such as the one between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart, have been causing tension among Eintracht Frankfurt fans, who are also fans of the Bundesliga and soccer in general.
Source: www.dpa.com
