Once again, football fans are collectively banned from attending a game in European competition – this time in Nice. The affected FC Basel calls it an “act of arbitrariness”, fans announce legal action.
It was the first time that SG Eintracht Frankfurt played an away game in a knockout round of Champions League had in front of him. Thousands of fans booked accommodation, flights to Naples or looked for other ways to southern Italy. Many were left with the costs of hundreds or even more than 1,000 euros because a few days before the second leg in the round of 16 it became known that the Italian Ministry of the Interior had denied the Frankfurters access to the stadium due to security concerns.
“In high-risk games, every possible security measure should be examined very carefully before excluding all supporters from a team as a very last resort.”said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. “Because such a drastic measure may not contribute to de-escalation, so I have little understanding for this decision.”
The social democrat who is also responsible for sport should be right. Despite the ban, some fans rioted before and after the March 16 game among the thousands who would have loved to see the game at the stadium.
Pandora’s box opened
Philipp Reschke, board member of Eintracht Frankfurt, was also good with his guess. “Pandora’s box may have been opened here. We hope that doesn’t catch on”said the Bundesliga club’s legal advisor.
A good month later it is clear that Pandora’s box is open. Late on Tuesday evening (April 18, 2023), the French Ministry of the Interior announced that no FC Basel fans would be allowed to travel to Nice to watch the second leg in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League to see at OGC Nice.
Ban based on ‘fears’
are Basel fans “often sources of disruption to public order”, the ban was justified in the corresponding communication. The ministry further wrote that before the first leg (2:2) “Risk supporters of both teams had made contact and planned confrontations”.
In Basel it was quiet in the first leg, but it was feared that the second leg “becomes the scene of arguments”. The season so far has also played a role, because there were serious riots in the game of 1. FC Köln in the group phase, which resulted in a number of penalties.
Incidents at the game of 1. FC Köln
Many fans from the mass of peaceful Cologne supporters were bothered in September because they had felt unwelcome in Nice since arriving.
Therefore, a tweet from the mayor made her angry. Christian Estrosi had written that the FC fans were warmly welcomed, but they abused the hospitality. Therefore he wanted to send the Bundesliga team an invoice for repairs and cleaning in the city.
“Strikes in France cannot be a problem for FC Basel”
FC Basel called the ban in a message distributed on Wednesday morning “act of arbitrariness”like him the the club “never seen before” have. The Swiss first division club suspects that the ongoing strikes and protests over the recently passed pension reform are the main reason for the decree, but nevertheless criticizes it sharply: “FC Basel 1893 is angry and extremely disappointed with the unacceptable actions and the decision of the French authorities. (…) The fact that France is regularly affected by strikes is not new knowledge, but was a fact on the day of the draw and can not be FC Basel’s problem.”
Fourth case in just over a month
The exclusion of fans from Switzerland is the fourth similar case since “Naples”. In the meantime, fans of Feyenoord Rotterdam were banned from buying tickets for the second leg of the quarter-finals of Europa League to buy at AS Roma. The Italian government followed the request of the Roman mayor Roberto Gualtieri: “I have asked Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to explore the possibility of a travel ban for Feyenoord fans and take a very tough stance to protect the city of Rome.“
As a result of this decree, European football’s governing body UEFA banned AS Roma fans from attending the first leg in the Netherlands, which ended 1-0 to Feyenoord.
Fan alliance: “Terrible week for fan rights and freedom of travel”
In view of the recent bans in Italy and France, the “Football Supporters Europe” (FSE) fan association spoke of a “terrible week for fan rights and the freedom to travel in Europe“.
The FSE announced legal action against the decision in France. Together with the Basel club and fan alliances from France and FC Basel, they want to challenge the order. A hearing before France’s Supreme Administrative Court has been scheduled for 9am Thursday morning, 12 hours before kick-off, according to the FSE.
Announcement by UEFA for The rule change runs into nothing
So far, UEFA has not responded to the French decree banning FC Basel fans. The recently re-elected President Aleksander Čeferin announced on ZDF after the “Naples” case: “We have to say that if something like that happens, they won’t play there. Very simple: We will change the rules.“
When asked about the process in Nice, UEFA told Sportschau that they had taken note of the decision. “UEFA is in contact with both clubs to ensure that information is properly shared with fans to ensure a safe environment at the stadium.” In terms of content, she has not yet commented on the decisions of the authorities.
