Fans across Germany are protesting
U-turn in the security debate?
Updated on December 3, 2025 – 1:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After weeks of protests by active fan groups, some of the planned measures are not on the agenda at the Interior Ministers’ Conference. The DFB and DFL have a clear appeal.
At the start of the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) in Bremen, there are signs of a relaxation in the debate about security measures in football stadiums. According to Bremen’s Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD), personalized tickets, comprehensive ID checks, facial recognition, AI surveillance and pyrotechnics are not on the agenda for the three-day conference.
The announcement follows weeks of protests by the active fan scene in the stadiums. Numerous fan groups had previously criticized the planned measures as a blanket general suspicion. Mäurer explained that the focus is on dialogue with the fans: “We have to maintain moderation in all measures. Security in the stadium is important. But we must not place all fans under general suspicion just because a few cause trouble.”
The DFB and DFL associations warned of collective punishments before the start of the IMK in a letter to leading interior ministers, which was available to “Kicker”. A stadium ban must be based on concrete and demonstrable facts, says the letter signed by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, DFL Supervisory Board Chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke and DFL Managing Director Marc Lenz.
There should be no “watering can principle” in investigations into stadium bans, nor should there be an automatism that takes effect without examining individual cases. The association representatives emphasize that the specific circumstances are crucial, with reference to a Federal Constitutional Court ruling from 2018. They also reject the personalization of tickets – this would neither increase security nor is it compatible with the standing room culture.
According to Mäurer, this topic will no longer be discussed in the coming days. “Personalized tickets and comprehensive ID checks – that’s not on the agenda. The issue of ticketing is off the table. Because no one will give up the standing room. And with standing room where everyone can move freely, the topic makes no sense,” said Bremen’s Interior Senator.
According to Mäurer, there should be more transparency and uniformity when it comes to stadium bans in the future. In the future, the specific accusation for a stadium ban must be “substantially explained”. “There shouldn’t be any automatism. It’s not about issuing more stadium bans, but about more legal certainty on both sides,” Mäurer told “Sportschau”.
A higher-level stadium ban commission at the DFB is intended to ensure uniform standards, but decisions should continue to be made in the local commissions. In future cases of conflict, the police and clubs will be able to call the new commission, explained Mäurer and at the same time emphasized that the security situation in the stadiums has recently improved.