This Guy Will Be Patrolling Hamburg's Red Light District
During Matchday 12 in Germany, there were no major reports of hooliganism either inside or nearby Bundesliga stadia. What makes this welcome news—more so than normal at least—is that there were some pretty tired police officers out there keeping order and it hopefully made their jobs easier.
You see, German state police have been a bit overworked as of late owing to peaceful protests against the “nuclear waste train” supported by Greenpeace Germany.
They had to work overtime ensuring that the nuclear waste remained safely on its way to the storage facility—including herding sheep off the railway—while at the same time maintaining order during the protests.
Prior to this weekend’s football, the head of the German Police Federation had been pleading—through the media—for the German Football League to suspended play to allow his police force to rest. DFL President Reinard Rauball rejected that appeal (Warning: German link), claiming there was no direct request made by the police union to the DFL in a timely manner for it to make adjustments to the league schedule.
Now, the German Police Federation is giving the DFL plenty of time to decide if it will acquiesce to another request to suspend play in May 2011.
Coupled with the threat of charging the DFL for policing future matches, the police union is asking the league to suspend Bundesliga matches for the upcoming May 1st Labor Day riots. As the article reads, this is a traditional day of rioting for Germans against capitalism, which allows state police to plan and coordinate its coverage effectively to mediate violence and property damage. There are even tour guides available so you don’t miss a single stone thrown.
Typical German anarchists.
Matches that might have been scheduled on Sunday, May 1st, were already planned to be moved, but the DFL thus far is still holding to its match schedule on the preceding Friday and Saturday—which would be Matchday 32.
What is interesting is that—while still tentative—Hamburg SV is scheduled to host SC Freiburg that weekend.
Why is that interesting?
Well, the city of Hamburg seems particularly enthusiastic about its May Day violence and police there would have their plates very full if they are tussling with neo-Nazis, extinguishing burning cars, and dodging glass bottles all while ensuring safety for players and fans at the Imtech Arena.
At least they didn’t schedule another Hamburg derby with FC St Pauli that weekend. The first one earlier this season had all the hallmarks of hooligan fun as St Pauli marked its return to the 1.Bundesliga. FC St Pauli is scheduled to be playing away that weekend–just in case.
There are already proposals to force the DFL to suspend league play over May Day weekend 2012, but the interior ministers in charge were too slow to force the league’s schedule-makers to adjust accordingly for this season. As the German football league already institutes a winter break, will have ongoing DFB Pokal cup matches, and will likely having a smattering of Bundesliga clubs in European competitions, reworking an entire matchday at this juncture would prove rather tricky.
Still, if the police union follows through on its threat of charging clubs for a police presence during matches, Rauball will have say more than claiming it’s “populism.”
And wouldn’t it be better to have a police force that’s not so jittery, irritable, and prone to taser or tear-gas your more obstinate fans in an instant after being briefed on May Day scenarios? Perhaps the DFL should go easy on this one.
Not really relevant, but I think the Bundesliga having 34 matchdays, along with a January break, makes the league more interesting as players aren’t as liable to break-down due to overplay.
@ EF: And taking that winter break does allow for some potential unexpected changes like this. Would they maybe come back a week earlier so the league can take May Day weekend completely off? Also, the Germans don’t have another layer of domestic cup competition like the League Cup to congest the fixture schedule further, which could help to prevent players breaking down. Well, unless they’re not Arjen Robben.