Bundesliga: Police call for facial recognition in stadiums to combat ultra-riots
The police union is calling for more intensive use of security technology such as biometric facial recognition and people scanners in stadiums.
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As the new Bundesliga soccer season kicks off on Friday, the German Police Union (GdP) is calling for a significant increase in surveillance at match venues. What is needed is "more intensive, legally compliant use of modern security technology" such as automated facial recognition software and personal scanners, particularly in front of the notorious fan curves.
As at the airport, at least some visitors would first have to undergo a full body scan to detect weapons, fireworks or explosives, the union demands. Before the opening match, GdP national chairman Jochen Kopelke emphasized: "There is no place in the stadium for hooligans who are prepared to use violence or Ultras who set fires."
Kopelke lamented that some club boards protect criminal and dangerous behavior. But soccer stadiums should belong to "the real fans" and not "the thugs and rioters". The associations and clubs should clearly identify who is endangering the safe stadium experience and ban these people from the curves.
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"Orwellian surveillance fantasies"
In general, the GdP expects "consistent cooperation between associations, clubs, interior ministries, and security companies for a return to a safe soccer experience" after many disturbances. Most recently, the 2024 European Championships led to a significant increase in the "violent sports offenders" file, in which the police stored almost 700 new foreign "hooligans".
Nobody would come to a match with their family if the conditions conjured up by the police existed, argued Linda Röttig from the umbrella organization of fan support groups. According to official statistics, there is a greater risk of becoming a victim of crime at any medium-sized public festival, the lawyer told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
Furthermore, basic rights also apply to soccer fans, "which rightly prohibit the realization of such total surveillance fantasies Ă la George Orwell's 1984". In its current season report, the association refers to 24 incidents "in which fans were confronted with excessive police behavior in various ways".
(mma)
