“Yes to protests and freedom of expression – No to hate and aggression”: statement from the DFL Executive Committee

4 March 2020 – The Executive Committee of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga has closely examined the interaction in the stadiums of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 as well as the interplay between the DFL, DFB, clubs and fans. The reason for this far-reaching, differentiated analysis was the abuse of Dietmar Hopp last weekend and the discussion about how to handle it in the right way. The DFL Executive Committee reached the following conclusions:

• Freedom of expression, which of course includes protests, is not at issue. German football is characterized by great diversity; nothing should or must be changed about this. However, it is equally clear that human beings, also when they are depicted on posters, do not belong in cross hairs. Defamation, aggression and hate – in whatever form – are totally unacceptable. Independent of Dietmar Hopp, this applies to all people – of all ages, genders, religions, social classes, skin colours, nationalities and sexual orientations. It is absolutely legitimate to question why this stance hasn’t been expressed this clearly before. This question however should not be a reason not to follow this path consistently now.

• Collective punishments have never solved a problem in German football. However, their use as a last resort in exceptional cases in court negotiations between the DFB and clubs cannot be totally ruled out. (In other European countries, for example, entire stadium sections had to be sanctioned in the face of racist incidents – which is, of course, in no way comparable to the incidents of the past days.)
  
  Contrary to what has been said many times, the DFB has not broken its promise when it comes to collective punishments. There was and will be no general reintroduction of collective punishments. The case being discussed specifically concerned a legally binding, publicly known suspended sentence pronounced by the sports tribunal in November 2018. After repeated incidents, the suspended sentence was revoked and, along with this, the exclusion became effective. Nevertheless, the DFL will approach the DFB for the purpose of conducting fundamental discussions regarding, among other things, transparency, interpretation and thus acceptance of sanctions.

• The DFL Executive Committee considers it imperative that the so-called “Three-Step Plan” is precisely defined with a concrete interpretation, implementation and possible consequences. All involved parties need clarity as soon as possible. Currently there are still too many unanswered questions that open the door to abuse. Especially in terms of the integrity of the competition, this is of the highest priority. Match interruptions must not become the rule; matches must be decided on the field.

• In the opinion of the DFL Executive Committee, everyone involved (DFL, DFB, clubs and fans) is obliged to communicate with one another. This is the only way to achieve a common understanding of how to continue working together. This applies especially to the dialogue on site at the individual locations of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. In this context, the DFL Executive Committee expressly recognizes the many positive contributions made to our football culture by numerous fan groups.