SV Waldhof has to pay a fine of 160,000 euros – fans cause trouble!

SV Waldhof has to pay a fine of 160,000 euros – fans cause trouble!

In a remarkable decision, SV Waldhof Mannheim has to pay a fine of 159,800 euros. This sum was imposed on the club because of the unsportsmanlike behavior of its fans, as regenbogen.de reports. The penalties result from five cases of unsportsmanlike conduct and one discriminatory incident, which were documented in league games against FC Energie Cottbus and Dynamo Dresden.

The original penalties were 170,335 euros, but were reduced following an appeal by the club. Particularly noticeable was an incident in the game against Cottbus on December 7, 2024, for which a fine of 110,000 euros was imposed after pyrotechnics were used. The club also had to answer for discriminatory calls and the use of pyrotechnic objects in the game against Dresden, which resulted in a fine of 49,800 euros.

Club strategies and prevention measures

SV Waldhof can use up to 53,200 euros that it would like to spend on violence prevention or security measures. Proof of use of these funds must be submitted by March 31, 2026. This is part of a wider strategy by the clubs to ensure a safe and respectful atmosphere in the stadium.

But it's not just SV Waldhof that has to deal with the problem. Other clubs, such as FC Carl Zeiss Jena, are also intensively addressing the challenges of collective punishment. A recent decision by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) confirmed that football clubs are liable for the behavior of their fans, fueling discussion about the fairness of fines. Critics of these collective punishments argue that they are perceived as arbitrary and only deepen the rifts between fans and associations, as deutschlandfunk.de notes.

Pyrotechnics and fan solidarity

A further discussion about collective punishments makes it clear that many fans do not want to identify with the misconduct of individuals. Thomas Kessen from the fan community “Our Curve” emphasized that fans should not be punished for the misconduct of others. This perspective is shared by many fan aid organizations, who criticize the disproportionate passing on of punishments to the group and compare it to clan imprisonment.

In the 2019/20 season, the DFB collected over two million euros in fines, a clear sign that this issue is becoming increasingly popular among clubs and fans and that a solution is urgently needed. Chris Förster from FC Carl Zeiss Jena is calling for a rethink in how to deal with pyrotechnics in the stadium in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved without collectively punishing the fans. The challenges that SV Waldhof faces are therefore also part of a larger problem in German football.