Clubs in the three highest German leagues also had to pay high fines last football season for fan misconduct German Football Association (DFB) pay. In total, the clubs had to pay more than twelve million euros. That’s almost the same as the previous season. At that time it was around 12.5 million euros.
The main reason for this was that fans often set off Bengalos and other fireworks in the stadiums. These are forbidden. If fans still use pyrotechnics, the club has to pay a fine.
The highest individual amount had to be paid 1. FC Cologne pay. The fans of the newly promoted Bundesliga club caused fines totaling 924,355 euros in the last second division season. Eintracht Frankfurt followed in second place with 764,600 euros. The Hessians were once again the most heavily sanctioned club in the Bundesliga. In the 2023/24 season, the DFB had against the Champions LeagueParticipants were even fined 918,950 euros.
Hamburger SV took third place in the overall ranking with 623,555 euros. The second Bundesliga promotion also attracted attention due to numerous fan crimes.
Significantly more penalties in the third league
Had to in the third league Dynamo Dresden Pay the highest amount at 428,460 euros. Overall, they increased Fines in the third highest league: at around 2.24 million euros, they were clearly above the previous year’s figure of around 1.5 million euros. What was remarkable was that two clubs, Viktoria Köln and Hannover 96 II, remained completely free of fines.
In the first and second Bundesliga However, the penalties fell by more than one million euros.
Since the clubs are allowed to use part of the fines for preventive measures against violence, in the end only a good eight million euros actually ended up with the DFB. As usual, the association passed on around six million euros of this as donations to various football foundations.
Punishments under criticism
At the same time, the DFB’s high fines against clubs are increasingly met with criticism – not only from fans, but also from clubs and fan representatives. Several clubs, particularly from the northeast, are calling for collective punishments to be abolished for pyrotechnics that are not used improperly. Also second division team Hertha BSC supports this demand. The penalties are a significant burden, especially for financially weaker and lower-class clubs, without leading to a reduction in incidents.
On the contrary: According to the police’s annual statistics, the number of pyrotechnic incidents in the 2024/25 season increased by 73 percent compared to the previous season. For Jost Peter from the fan advocacy group Our Curve, this is clear evidence of the ineffectiveness of the existing system. The numbers showed “how ineffective the DFB’s penalty model remains,” said Peter.
Similar criticism also comes from other clubs. Matthias Tillmann, Chairman of the Board of Directors FC Schalke 04said we need to work together to find more practical solutions. “We see that it is currently not working. Simply saying that the clubs pay a certain amount per torch that is lit obviously does not lead to less pyro being lit,” said Tillmann.
Instead, the operation is often uncontrolled and is therefore more dangerous. What is needed is a more open debate about how safety in the stadium can be guaranteed and at the same time the fan culture can be preserved – for example through controlled forms or alternative pyrotechnics.
