Violence in stadiums: Interior Minister meets club representatives
Following the recent riots at soccer matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens wants to meet with representatives of the two professional clubs Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig next week. The SPD politician confirmed this to the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" (Friday).
"My current impression is that the clubs are ducking away from their fans, they are not doing enough to curb the violence in the stadiums," said Behrens. "The Bundesliga clubs are putting up with it. And the police have to make up for poor security measures." She would like to hear from club representatives from Hanover and Braunschweig specifically "what they want to do to defuse the situation".
The second division derby between the two Lower Saxony rivals 96 and Eintracht also saw rioting on November 5. Since this match, Behrens has reserved the right, at least as a "last resort", for Lower Saxony to charge the German Football League (DFL) for the additional costs of police operations at high-security matches. So far, only Bremen, which won a legal dispute with the DFL on this issue that lasted for years, has done so.
- The political tension between Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig, two clubs in the Bundesliga 2, extended beyond the soccer field and resulted in violence during their recent derby match.
- Amid concerns over rising violence in soccer stadiums, the police have been criticized for insufficient security measures, leading Interior Minister Daniela Behrens to question the clubs' efforts in dealing with this issue.
- Despite the escalating violence, Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig have yet to present concrete plans to curb the problem, which has prompted the Interior Minister to call for a meeting with club representatives to discuss potential solutions.
Source: www.dpa.com
