The Supreme Court’s decision dates back to 2015, when the Bremen police billed the German Football League for police costs.
According to the decision of the German Supreme Court, the states of the country can in the future collect police costs for high-risk matches from Bundesliga clubs. The Supreme Court issued a decision on the matter on Tuesday. Among other things, they reported on the matter Deutsche Welle and Tagesschau.
According to the decision, the states can in the future charge football clubs for additional costs caused by possible police operations at matches.
The matter concerns so-called high-risk games, i.e. matches in which there is considered to be a sufficient probability of a particularly dangerous situation arising.
The Supreme Court’s ruling dates back to 2015, when Bremen police sent the German Football League (DFL) a bill of more than €400,000 for police costs incurred during a Bundesliga match between Werder Bremen and Hamburg.
The DFL is responsible for organizing both the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga.
Bremen justified its right under a state law that allows a fee to be charged for for-profit events with more than 5,000 people that require additional police because of anticipated violence.
In 2017, the Administrative Court of Bremen stated the payments as illegal, but with complaints, the matter went to the Supreme Court.
Derbies are high risk matches
Among Bundesliga matches, derbies between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke and Werder Bremen and Hamburg are defined as high-risk games.
So far, Bremen is the only state to charge for police costs. The recent decision may prompt other states to follow Bremen’s example. According to the German media, Hamburg, for example, has expressed its interest in it.
Sports show by Bremen’s senator responsible for home affairs and sports Ulrich Mäurer has proposed that the DFL establish a fund to cover expenses. The high-risk games of the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga are said to cause additional costs of approximately 20,000–30,000 euros annually.