After the South Curve ban, a Bayern fan club boss takes a hard line with the pyro-ultras and speaks of damage to thousands of fans
FC Bayern’s decision to ban the entire south curve at the upcoming Champions League home game against Union Saint-Gilloise continues to cause massive discussion. While the record champions are reacting consistently to the repeated pyro incidents, anger is growing among many uninvolved fans – and now also publicly among the fan clubs
Bernd Hofmann, chairman of the Nabburg/Oberpfalz fan club, has been particularly outspoken. The 76-year-old is harsh on the Ultras responsible and has clear words for the behaviour of the igniters. In his opinion, the fans who want to support FC Bayern loudly and peacefully are the ones suffering. „Unfortunately, the incorrigible pyro igniters don’t care about the many tens of thousands of fans who go to the stadium and just want to watch good soccer and support the team vocally,“ he said
„The perpetrators don’t care either“
Hofmann is particularly critical of the practical and financial consequences of the complete ban: „The Nabburg fan club and many others have suffered as a result of this measure by the club, because now we can no longer travel with a fully occupied bus, but only with a half-occupied bus – but the people responsible don’t care about that either.“
In his view, it is particularly annoying that those responsible for the pyro actions show no consideration for these consequences. Even if the ticket costs are reimbursed, the damage for the fan clubs remains real – both financially and in terms of time
Hofmann also expressed concerns about safety in the stadium. Pyrotechnics are banned in German stadiums, and there is nothing to shake about that. Anyone who ignores these rules is acting negligently and, in the worst case, risks serious injury. It is precisely this irresponsibility that is increasingly met with incomprehension by many long-standing fans
According to BILD, several fan clubs and many Bayern supporters share Hofmann’s point of view. Despite their own disadvantages, there is broad support for the club’s tough approach to the pyro incidents. The hope of many fans: a clear signal that emotional support must have nothing to do with danger or sanctions at the expense of the majority
However, FC Bayern left a small loophole open. If technical solutions are found to specifically exclude the perpetrators and allow uninvolved fans back in, the South Curve could still be partially opened. Whether and how this will be implemented remains to be seen, but one thing is already clear: the internal conflict within the Bayern fan scene has broken out openly.