Proposals to curb violence at soccer matches are providing plenty of fodder for discussion at the spring conference of federal and state interior ministers in Hamburg. According to the German Press Agency (DPA), which obtained information from participants at the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK), several states submitted requests for amendments to a relatively general draft resolution shortly before the conference began on Wednesday evening.
DFB Sports Court: Harsh Penalties Following Hertha vs. Dresden Match
Following serious riots during the second-division match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC Berlin in April, the DFB Sports Court recently imposed harsh penalties. These include the implementation of a security plan for the next two league matches between these two teams. The ticket allocation for the visiting club, Dresden, was restricted, and the tickets in the visiting allocation must be personalized.
“Strong signals” from the DFB Sports Court
The DFB Sports Court’s latest rulings have sent “strong signals in favor of personalized tickets,” says Schuster. This has shown that: “The DFB also understands that stadium bans only make sense if they can actually be enforced.” This means cross-checking the stadium bans imposed on certain fans against the names on the tickets.
This is already the case for Conference League, Europa League, and Champions League matches, argues Saxony’s Minister of the Interior. That’s why, for example, at the Conference League final in Leipzig—when riots broke out between English and Spanish fans the night before—they were able to work with UEFA immediately to ensure that those people didn’t enter the stadium.
