Drama in the BayArena: Pyrotechnics ensures game interruption!

Drama in the BayArena: Pyrotechnics ensures game interruption!

On February 7, 2025, there was an extremely questionable incident during a DFB quarter-final game between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the 1st FC Köln in the BayArena. Fans lit massively pyrotechnics, which not only led to a significant impairment of the view, but also caused an interruption of the game by about ten minutes. The police have now initiated investigations and recorded over 20 criminal complaints, reports Radio Leverkusen .

The repeated use of pyrotechnics in the stadium raises many questions. Perplex is particularly unclear how the responsible persons were able to bring large amounts of fireworks to the stadium. The police started watching video material to identify the perpetrators. It can be expected that the event will not only lead to legal consequences for fans, but also to high financial burdens for both clubs involved, regardless of the outcome of the investigation.

comparison with incidents in the past

This incident is reminiscent of the city derby between FC St. Pauli and Hamburger SV on September 16, 2019. There, too, the use of pyrotechnics led to several game interruptions. The DFB originally imposed a penalty of 320,000 euros, of which 200,000 euros were on Hamburg SV. According to an objection by the clubs, this punishment was reduced to 230,000 euros on January 17, as well as the amount for SV reduced to 140,000 euros. The DFB control committee has already appealed against these mild punishments, since the chairman Dr. Anton Nachreiner sees the punishments as unacceptable, as League 2 online

The discussion about pyrotechnics and their handling in football remains highly topical. Against this background, politicians and football association representatives in Munich recently stood together at a security summit to address violence in football. Bavaria Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann found that, despite progress already made, there is still a lot to do. Clear measures to combat violence have not yet been fully disclosed, but the establishment of a central stadium ban commission was decided that is intended to develop uniform criteria for stadium bans. These developments fit into an overall picture in which the discussion about the ban on pyrotechnics remains a central topic, which made Herrmann clear: "Pyrotechnics in stadiums are not tolerated," said ZDF .

In the coming days and weeks, it will be shown how the parties involved will react to the incidents of February 7th. Security in football and dealing with pyrotechnics remain a constant topic that affects both the fan and security culture in the stadiums.