Bayern Ultras: Pyrotechnics Defence Explained

FC Bayern Munich has to do without some of its supporters in the Champions League home game against the Belgian representative Union Saint-Gilloise (January 21st, 9 p.m. in LIVETICKER).

As the German record champions announced, certain blocks (sectors 111 to 114) remain closed after repeated use of pyrotechnics. The UEFA Disciplinary Committee decided this and fined FCB 50,000 euros.

The trigger was a big pyro show that parts of the Munich fan scene held at the premier class home game against Sporting Lisbon on December 9th. After Bayern supporters set off massive fires in the Champions League game against Leverkusen in March 2025 and were subsequently given a suspended sentence, a collective penalty imposed by UEFA took effect after the pyrotechnics against Sporting.

As the active fan scene “Südkurve Munich” revealed in a letter on Sunday, the scene was well aware of the consequences and effects of their pyrotechnic display against Lisbon.

“The images of the pyroshow in the south curve at the home game against Sporting Lisbon went around the football world and received a lot of applause in the stadium and afterwards. For us and many others, pyrotechnics is an important element of fan culture that creates special moments and atmosphere,” wrote the fan scene.

“This time the action had the primary purpose of not bowing to the suspended sentence imposed by UEFA against FC Bayern, even if there were consequences for doing so. We knew and know that these consequences affect many Bayern fans who bear no responsibility for our action and perhaps even have a different opinion about it.”

The letter shows that the groups in the Munich South Curve are clearly positioning themselves against the imposition of collective punishments. “From our point of view, they are neither legitimate nor suitable to force behavior, regardless of which association or institution. Accordingly, it is only logical for us not to bow to such a regime.”