Aue board against pyro association penalties: "Target missed"

Jörg Püschmann, board member of third-division soccer club Erzgebirge Aue, wants a differentiation in the punishment for the use of pyrotechnics. "The current list of penalties has now been in force for several years and should have a deterrent effect. Soccer in Germany has to admit that it has not worked: It has not worked, the hoped-for effect failed to materialize," the entrepreneur told the "Freie Presse" newspaper.

"The threat of penalties does not prevent the use of pyrotechnics. So the goal was missed. Now it's about finding other ways," he explained. At the end of January, some clubs and fan clubs in the Regionalliga Nordost issued a statement calling for the abolition of collective penalties for the use of pyrotechnics that were not misused.

The signatories of the declaration, which include club representatives from executive boards, supervisory boards and managing directors, want a differentiation in the assessment of pyrotechnics set off.

From educational measure to money-printing machine

"Shooting rockets into neighboring blocks or actively and deliberately interfering in the game must remain prohibited," says the 37-year-old, who criticizes the current status: "The extent of the punishments is becoming more and more drastic and the incidents less and less relevant to safety. Apparently, an "educational measure" is turning into a money-printing machine."

The new position paper has already generated a need for discussion again. For Püschmann, however, it must go beyond discussions: "We need tangible new regulations and the realization that the current approach to association penalties does not do justice to the matter."

A differentiation between misused and non-abused pyrotechnics must be made, according to Püschmann: "The solution is simple, can be implemented quickly and is the cleanest way for everyone involved."