Lower Saxony is fighting back: professional clubs are fighting against collective punishments!

Lower Saxony is fighting back: professional clubs are fighting against collective punishments!

Before the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) in Bremen, which will meet from December 3rd to 5th, 2025, Lower Saxony's professional football clubs will make a clear statement. In a joint statement, clubs such as Eintracht Braunschweig, Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg, VfL Osnabrück, TSV Havelse, SV Meppen and VfB Oldenburg position themselves against “collective bans”. They emphasize that security and fan culture are closely linked and that comprehensive protection for the stadium experience is necessary. This message was clearly communicated by stern.de.

The criticism is particularly directed at measures such as personalized tickets, reduced guest contingents and central stadium ban structures, which can affect large blocks of fans without a specific reason. It remains to be seen what specific decisions the interior ministers will make in Bremen. The security situation in the stadiums is a central topic of the conference, and Lower Saxony has taken a leading role in the discussion, as ndr.de reports.

Dispute over security measures

The mood is tense as both fans and clubs criticize the planned measures to tighten security precautions. On November 16, 2025, around 8,000 fans from 38 clubs gathered in Leipzig to demonstrate against the tightening measures. These protests continue and show the discontent of the supporters. There are three main proposals: personalized tickets, AI-powered surveillance with facial recognition and stricter stadium bans during ongoing investigations. Sportschau emphasizes that these proposals are encountering a lot of resistance, while Lower Saxony representatives are calling for binding concepts.

The Bremen Senator for the Interior in particular has made it clear that the debate about personalized tickets and facial recognition is over. The fan organization “Our Curve” advocates a fact-based discussion and criticizes the ongoing discussions as populist. Numbers support their argument: Despite increased attendance at stadiums, the number of incidents and injuries in football has fallen. However, reference is also made to the over 600 injured bystanders, which underlines the concerns of Hamburg's police chief.

The role of stadium alliances

The existing security architecture is the focus. Interior ministries in various federal states report a decline in crimes and police operations, which reinforces the impression of a safe visit to the stadium. Lower Saxony states that visiting stadiums in Germany is not fundamentally unsafe. Minister Daniela Behrens is therefore calling for a balanced discussion about the need for measures such as personalized tickets and increased entry controls.[stern.de]. ndr.de assure that the majority of fans can feel safe.

In conclusion, the discussion about safety in football remains heated and both politicians and fans are making their voices heard. It remains exciting to see what measures the interior ministers will ultimately decide on and how these could influence fan culture and the stadium experience. The question of how much security is necessary without criminalizing fans will certainly remain a sensitive issue in the future.