By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 3 – German fans have called a halt to their groundbreaking silent protest against new safety and security measures adopted last month which, they claim, ruins the atmosphere at games.
The so-called “12:12” demonstration – with terraces falling silent for the first 12 minutes and 12 seconds of matches to
mark the exact date and year the hotly disputed rules were adopted – has been called off after three successive weekends of action after fans were promised a meeting with the country’s football authorities.
“After the winter break, there will be no more call from us for a silent protest,” the 12:12 movement said. “We have received an invitation from the Bundesliga for a first interview, so that a dialogue can finally begin in earnest.”
Last month, all 36 clubs in Germany’s top two divisions passed a new set of proposals aimed at stamping out violence
including tighter stadium checks, provisions allowing random body searches and the possibility of limiting away fans.
The moves came in the wake of a report citing the 2011-12 season as the worst for criminal proceedings in 12 years, with
almost double the number of injured fans from the previous campaign.
Further instances of trouble, not least before the derby between champions Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 in October, put further pressure on the authorities to act.
But German fans, proud of their traditions, were outraged at not having a say in the measures and were especially worried about having vital standing areas curtailed. Hence the so-called “no voice, no atmosphere” protest.
Unlike in many other European countries, not least England, the Bundesliga allows for specific standing areas in its stadiums which are converted to seats for European games in line with Uefa regulations.
German Football League Vice President Heribert Bruchhagen welcomed the climb down by the fans.
“These conflict situations were never in football’s best interest,” Bruchhagen said. “I would be very happy if they were now dissolved piece by piece.”
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