Football fans under pressure: violence and police operations in focus!

Football fans under pressure: violence and police operations in focus!

On December 15, 2024, after a Bundesliga game from Borussia Dortmund, a dramatic incident occurred to seriously injured a 45-year-old man in a regional train (RB 52) towards Lüdenscheid. The incident that took place around 9:20 p.m. was reported to the Federal Police at Hagen Central Station. According to reports from the Outlook on Hellweg occurred after a dispute between the man and a group of young football fans.

The argument began when the group initially insulted the victim's girlfriend and then also provoked him. The 45-year-old, who defended himself and pushed away one of the attackers, was then attacked by another fan with a glass bottle. The blow on the back of the head led to a traumatic brain trauma. While the witnesses tried to snatch the bottle and hold it out to the perpetrator, he and his companions managed to escape at the Hagen-Oberhagen stop.

Review of violence in the football environment

The shocking events throw another light on increasing violence into and around football games. A current study on police violence against football fans shows that this group is particularly often affected by attacking behavior by police officers. According to the investigation, which led over 3,300 affected people and 60 expert interviews, football fans are the second largest group among the victims of police violence, directly behind the demonstrators. The DFG-Studienprojekt showed that almost a quarter of the fans surveyed stated that they were in contact with illegal police force. Psychological and physical consequences often do not fail.

Linda Röttig, a representative of fan aids, called for a fundamental reform of police work and underpinned the need for a labeling obligation for police officers. She emphasizes that police violence is a systematic problem that should not be considered in isolation. Rather, fans have to be respected as citizens whose rights apply on the game day.

a national problem

The study also reveals that the police are often criticized because violent missions against football fans are not adequately pursued. Over 90 percent of the procedures regarding suspected cases of illegal police violence are discontinued, and only two percent lead to real charges. Many affected people either do not indicate any advertisement or withdraw this for fear of repression. The increasing loss of trust towards the police is loud in the fan community. Many of those affected are young men who have suffered not only physical but also mental injuries.

The events related to the attack on the Lüdenscheider and the study on police violence underline the urgent need for reformed approaches to prevention violence during and after playing football. The federal police have already initiated an investigation into dangerous bodily harm and is looking for witnesses who can provide information on the fleeting perpetrator.