Munich – Rainer Koch emphasizes that collective punishments are still possible. But the DFB Vice President makes it clear that they are the last resort.
For the DFB Vice President Rainer Koch, collective punishments for fans for misconduct remain a possible form of sanction.
Although this is “the last resort”, Koch said in an interview with the portal Legal Tribune Online, “it has always been clearly communicated that spectator exclusions have not been completely abolished”.
Koch’s goal: “Prevent escalation
Last weekend, several Bundesliga stadiums insulted Dietmar Hopp, the majority owner of TSG Hoffenheim, probably due to a ruling by the DFB Sports Court, which excluded Borussia Dortmund fans from BVB matches in Sinsheim for two seasons due to repeated abuse.
“The goal now must be to prevent further escalation. To achieve this, we have to approach each other in a dialogue,” said Koch, who would certainly tolerate expressions of displeasure in the direction of the associations: “The DFB and DFL must clearly communicate that on the one hand, criticism, even harsh criticism, of clubs and associations must be accepted by them and is therefore not prohibited, but that on the other hand, a red line is crossed when individual persons are denigrated or insulted in an inhuman manner.