Snooping around in the hotel (daily newspaper Junge Welt)

The toughest fans in the curve support their club unconditionally. Whether victory or defeat, joy or disappointment: mood is created. Even in times of the pandemic, there was great solidarity, and of course you never lost sight of the opposing fans in your own stadium. Fan scenes have always demanded that there be enough tickets for the guest block. Only through the opponent with his songs and choreographies does the term atmosphere finally get its true meaning. Especially when it’s a European Cup game and you can experience European fan culture in your own away block.

Team Blue sees it differently, is once again a spoilsport. Most recently in Fribourg. Every fan of the local sports club and every visiting fan who has been a guest in Breisgau knows that the Freiburg police often do not act very proportionately and lawfully. In the run-up to FC Nantes’ guest appearance in Freiburg (October 6th), the Freiburg police approached the management of Dehoga, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, with a request for information on booking inquiries from French guest groups. The management of Dehoga forwarded the request to its members with the instruction that they please comply with the police request. Obviously, the Freiburg police assumed a horror scenario and used at least questionable legal means.

In the event of misconduct within their own ranks, the police are happy to invoke the presumption of innocence. With this action, however, the Freiburg law enforcement officers not only put the French fans under general suspicion, but also embarked on slippery ice in terms of data protection law. Because Freiburg is only a few kilometers from the French border, it is not unlikely that French nationals who have nothing to do with football will be targeted by German investigative authorities.

The example impressively shows how far the police deviate from the principles of the rule of law when it comes to football fans. It’s time for Team Blue to downsize and develop a healthier relationship with the corners.

»Sport free!« from the fan advocate.