Hamburg wants professional clubs to contribute to the costs of police operations at football matches. The Hamburg Parliament passed a corresponding motion by the red-green coalition by a majority. In the Hanseatic city, the Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli and the second division club Hamburger SV would be affected. Up to now, taxpayers have had to pay for police operations.
According to the resolution, the red-green Senate should, depending on the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court on the Bremen fee schedule for “profit-oriented events” at federal level – for example at the Conference of Interior and Sports Ministers – and at the German Football League (DFL), advocate for the examination of a nationwide or cross-state football police cost fund.
Bremen is already asking Bundesliga club Werder Bremen to pay
In Bremen, Bundesliga club Werder Bremen will receive the bill for the additional costs for police operations at high-risk games. The DFL is taking legal action against this before the Constitutional Court. If the Bremen regulation continues to apply, the fund for police costs could be used. According to the wishes of the citizens, the Senate should also speak with the Hamburg professional football clubs, the DFL, the DFB, the Central Information Office for Sports Operations and the Federal Police about further preventive security measures, but also repressive options.
“Things happen around football that would otherwise never be accepted,” said SPD interior expert Sören Schumacher. He listed insults, racism and sexual violence as examples. There is already good prevention work, he praised. But that is not enough. Some games in Hamburg have to be protected by up to 2,000 police officers. Schumacher emphasised: “For the first and second Bundesliga, 1.6 million working hours were needed nationwide for police operations.” That corresponds to the working hours of 1,238 full-time police officers.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240918-930-236554/1
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