Cantons stay tough on hooligans
Switzerland’s 26 cantons want to stop violence at ice hockey and football matches by imposing tougher rules on sports clubs.
In future, matches will only take place with authorisation which can be subject to conditions such as restrictions on alcohol sales and checks to see if fans are in the hooligan database.
The decision was passed on Thursday by the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors at their plenary meeting. It still needs to be ratified by the cantons.
“Every weekend 900 police have to be drafted for security when there are football and hockey matches,” said Karin Keller-Sutter, the conference president.
The idea of the tougher measures, which apply across Switzerland, is to make clubs take more responsibility, officials said, and to reduce the need for high numbers of police.
The cantons went against the Swiss Football League which had called, among others, for only “risk” matches to be subject to authorisation.
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