With the numerous protests in the stadiums against stricter security measures, the organized fan scene demonstrated unity. It is to be expected that there will be further activities at Bundesliga games until the Interior Ministers’ Conference.
One of the many pieces of news that the past Bundesliga weekend produced: VfB Stuttgart fans were attacked at a motorway service station near Siegburg by hooligans from the Eintracht Frankfurt environment, this was reported by SWR, among others, citing police information.
It is a report that was also linked in the reporting to the numerous protests from the organized fan scene that took place in many stadiums in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga over the weekend. Supporters of more repressive measures against football fans, such as those currently being put on the political agenda by the interior ministers, should feel vindicated after the riots at the rest stop. Just like the many fans from the corners who protested against the planned package of political measures at the weekend.
Because, as the active fan scene points out, the number of injuries and investigations initiated in the stadiums are declining. This is also confirmed by the police statistics, which fan associations refer to. Most of the serious, violent clashes take place outside the stadiums: at train stations, where rival groups of fans meet on the return journey, or, as happened at the weekend at the rest area on the A3, during the attack by Frankfurt hooligans.
Protests in the stadiums are largely peaceful
However, the organized fan scene argues that the stadiums themselves are safe, and this was also the focus of the extensive protest action on the last match day. As announced in advance by the “Fan Scenes Germany” alliance, the organized fans in many stadiums were silent for the first twelve minutes of the game. In protest against the planned, stricter security measures that could be decided at the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) from December 3rd to 5th.
“Populists are axing fan culture,” says the banner of Hertha BSC fans.
As with the demonstration last weekend in Leipzig with several thousand fans, the protests in the stadiums took place across fan scenes and were largely peaceful. Only at the game in Cologne did crazy people from the Frankfurt fan block fire fireworks towards the field and another spectator stand.
The fan scene sees itself unfairly targeted by the security authorities. The demands from politics, especially comprehensive personalization of tickets, a stricter practice of stadium bans and comprehensive surveillance in the stadium, including with facial recognition, are rejected by the fan alliances as excessive and one-sided.
Personalized Entrance tickets and stadium bans without conviction
Personalized tickets, especially for away fans, were not considered practical by the clubs. The “Fan Scenes Germany” alliance particularly criticized the plans to introduce a central commission for stadium bans. The fan organization fears that stadium bans could be imposed in the future without conviction and without the presumption of innocence.
The planned measures are a “deep interference with the rights of stadium visitors“, says a petition from the fan alliance, which is also submitted to the Federal Minister of the Interior and the Petitions Committee of the Bundestag: “Visit to stadiums is in danger of losing its free character; stadiums are becoming places of constant control and data collection.”
Protests will probably continue
The German Football Association partially understood the fans’ point of view. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf also emphasized that the “stadiums are safe places”. But Neuendorf also spoke of one “enormous pressure” and one “clear expectations” from politics. A signal that a higher-level commission for stadium bans based at the DFB is likely to come.
The organized fan scene has already announced that it will keep the pressure high until the Interior Ministers’ Conference meets at the beginning of December. Until then, there will continue to be protests in the stadiums. The teams should prepare themselves for the fact that they could play the first twelve minutes in front of silent blocks of fans next match day.