Football fan violence
Bavaria’s Interior Minister defends the use of pepper spray in stadiums
Status: 3:00 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
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Police operations in German football stadiums recently caused a stir. Despite the escalating violence, a fan initiative is demanding that the police not be allowed to use pepper spray in the arenas. Bavaria’s Interior Minister takes a clear stance on this.
Hansa Rostock fans riot in Paderborn and attack police officers, Schalke supporters cause a long break in the game in Rostock and in Frankfurt fans engage in wild brawls during the game against Stuttgart. Violence is back in Germany’s football stadiums.
Clubs also have to contend with violent fans in Bavarian arenas. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) has now spoken out against a ban on police use of pepper spray in stadiums because of the problem of violence. These are “absolutely rare” and “the absolute exception,” Herrmann told Bayerischer Rundfunk. If there is no other way to bring violent criminals to reason, this is a legitimate means and “definitely better than using firearms in particularly brutal situations.”
With regard to the request for a ban from the nationwide umbrella organization for fan aid, Herrmann said whoever was leading this discussion only wanted to “distract attention from their own problems”.
Herrmann also called for tough punishments from football clubs against violent fans from their own ranks. He called 1. FC Nürnberg’s decision to ban a leading Ultra player who had been convicted of violence from the Max Morlock Stadium for three years a good example of how “consistent action must be taken”. “I would like all clubs to receive stadium bans like this when one starts to become violent, so that it is clear that the clubs will not tolerate something like that,” emphasized Herrmann.
Clubs should take more care of security themselves
In his view, football clubs must be made more responsible for security in stadiums: “My goal is for the clubs to take more care of security themselves.” In return, fewer police forces would then have to be sent to the stadiums than before. There are corresponding requirements from the municipalities for this.
Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann
Source: dpa/Arne Dedert
In the sold-out Allianz Arena in Munich, FC Bayern would then have to organize and pay for at least 500 to 600 stewards in the stadium. “The main responsibility lies with the clubs,” said Herrmann. In public spaces, security at major football games naturally remains the responsibility of the police.
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