Football in Bremen is canceled next weekend. The association imposes a ban on games – in response to drastic incidents.
After several violent incidents in Bremen amateur football, the association reacted drastically and canceled all games from the D-youth level onwards next weekend. The association announced in a statement that no league, cup or friendly games will be played between Friday and Sunday.
“With the cancellation, the BFV is sending a clear signal against violence, hatred and discrimination in its leagues,” wrote the association. “Last weekend, a new, sad peak was reached in the quality of incidents on our sports fields. We are not prepared to accept this situation any further,” it continued.
Players ended up in the hospital
According to a statement, in one game a pack formed after a men’s game, during which, among other things, there were kicks in the head and someone pulled out a knife. According to a statement, in a C-youth game, three spectators ran onto the field and wanted to attack a player from the visiting team. During a senior game, the referee was attacked with threats of violence.
Recently, individual teams were banned from playing. The SC Meso-Nassau Wiesbaden second team received a four-week ban at the beginning of February. What happened? During a friendly match between Wiesbaden and TSV Mainz Ebersheim, there was a foul in the penalty area in the 87th minute. The referee awarded a penalty for the hosts from Mainz.
The Wiesbaden team was apparently so angry that some players attacked opponents. Two Ebersheim residents ultimately had to be treated in hospital. One actor suffered a double broken nose, another suffered multiple bruises. The responsible sports court then issued a temporary ban on playing for Wiesbaden.
“What happened there can no longer be ignored.”
Things have also been simmering recently in the Friedberg district league. Türk Gücü Friedberg II caused a game to be abandoned in October 2023 and was sanctioned with a game ban by the Hessian Football Association. Things were even tougher in Offenbach. There was a mass brawl between TuS Zeppelinheim and Spvgg. Neu-Isenburg III in September last year.
The decisive factor for this was once again a controversial penalty. A scuffle developed into a mass brawl in which spectators were also involved. The game was canceled. The sports court issued several game bans of up to 26 games and declared the duel lost for both teams.
Referee locks himself in the locker room
The chairman of the sports court, Jürgen Weil, said at the time: “What happened there is no longer an issue.” After the escalations in the football circle, he summarized: “I wouldn’t say that it has gotten worse. Thank God that’s not the order of the day. But it hasn’t improved either,” said Weil, who also reported a decline in respect for the referees spoke.
The referee of a district cup game in Beckum, Westphalia, locked himself in a cabin until the police arrived. He previously abandoned the game because of a mass brawl and was subsequently threatened. This is also why all weekend games in district leagues A, B and C were canceled last August. The football circle wrote in a statement at the time: “In recent years, disrespect has increased and the willingness to use violence on the pitch has increased.” The ban is now intended to “set an example”.