12 minutes of silence: This is why Bayern fans will remain silent against Freiburg | OneFootball

It will be unusually quiet around the home game against SC Freiburg this afternoon. But the planned silence in the Allianz Arena is anything but a coincidence – it’s a statement.

The fans of FC Bayern want to send a clear signal with a 12-minute silence. The Südkurve München is thus reacting to political plans that could have a profound impact on fan culture. The background to this is a series of measures that are to be discussed at the upcoming conference of interior ministers at the beginning of December. These include personalized tickets, the use of facial recognition and a central commission for stadium bans.

„In the first twelve minutes, we will show what it means when fan culture is destroyed. The first twelve minutes will be silent,“ announced Fabian Stammberger from Schickeria München. With their form of protest, the Ultras want to make it clear what they think of the planned regulations – namely nothing.

Criticism of compulsory tickets and central banning point

The planned introduction of personalized tickets is one of the most controversial plans. Political representatives argue that this would make anonymous behaviour more difficult and help to prevent violence. Fan organizations, on the other hand, see this as a massive restriction of their rights and criticize the general suspicion of all stadium visitors. In addition, both clubs and security services doubt that checking tickets and ID is practicable for tens of thousands of visitors.

The idea of a central stadium banning commission has also met with resistance. According to the plans of the interior ministers, this commission would be equipped with extensive powers to issue instructions. The fan representative body Fanhilfen warned that such a body would increase the risk of arbitrary bans and could „lead to less justice“. They are particularly critical of the idea that an ongoing investigation should be sufficient for a month-long stadium ban.

„A bigger enemy than our rivalry“

photo: IMAGO

The discontent is not limited to Munich. A few days ago, around 8,000 fans from all over Germany demonstrated in Leipzig against the planned measures – according to the organisers, there were as many as 20,000. It was the largest fan demonstration in over a decade. Despite rival groups, the gathering remained peaceful. The reason for this is obvious to many: „It has become clear that there is a bigger enemy than our rivalry: the police and politics,“ explained a spokesperson for the demonstration.

The lack of transparency is also at the heart of the criticism. The meetings of the appointed working groups take place behind closed doors – without the involvement of the fan scene. „For fear of opposition and protest, far-reaching measures are determined in the strictest secrecy,“ criticized Danny Graupner from the fan umbrella organization. The demand of many groups is therefore: dialogue instead of isolation.

Fans and clubs are also questioning the necessity of fundamental measures, as current police statistics show that the number of violent incidents in German stadiums has recently decreased – despite an increase in pyrotechnic incidents. According to official figures, the security situation has not worsened, which confirms many fan groups in their criticism of the political plans.

The conference of interior ministers in Bremen from December 3 to 5 will show whether the protests have any effect.