Hertha shows solidarity with fans against association penalties

Second division soccer club Hertha BSC has once again shown solidarity with its own fan scene and smaller clubs and called on the North East German Football Association (NOFV) to abolish the so-called association penalties.

"Association punishments in their current form do not serve the purpose that the associations had hoped for," said Hertha president Fabian Drescher in a YouTube video attached to a press release.

In the film, in which several fan representatives and officials from various East German clubs, mainly from the regional league, have their say, the Berlin club boss criticized the NOFV practice of primarily financially sanctioning clubs for the offences of their supporters.

This practice is "much more detrimental to the individual protagonists and the clubs, as it can cause clubs financial hardship and is not a solution to the problems identified by the associations," said Drescher.

The ban on pyrotechnics is at the heart of the dispute. However, sanctions against banners or fence flags are also criticized. "It gives the impression that associations are enriching themselves from fan culture, although as non-profit organizations like the NOFV, they are not legally entitled to do so. Positive, creative fan culture is being ignored or even criminalized as a result," the Hertha statement read.

Hertha members pass resolution

After a lengthy discussion at the general meeting in May, a majority of the club members present voted in favour of Hertha campaigning for an end to penalties for "non-abusive use of pyrotechnics". However, this was also sharply criticized by many members.

An appeal by regional league side Carl Zeiss Jena against a NOFV fine had recently caused a stir. When this was rejected with reference to incorrect content created using artificial intelligence, the club claimed to have deliberately submitted an overlong and incorrect application in order to draw attention to the problem of association penalties.