In the aftermath of the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on police costs for Bundesliga matches, NRW’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has expressed a mix of relief and caution. While welcoming the clarity brought by the decision, Reul emphasized the need to avoid a price war.
“It’s good that there’s now clarity, and we can ask clubs to pay up” Reul told the Rheinische Post. However, he reiterated that police deployments should not be a financial burden. “I don’t want a price war when it comes to police deployments. It’s the state’s promise to its citizens to ensure safety and order.”
Reul also expressed hope that the verdict would serve as a wake-up call for responsible parties, urging well-off clubs and stadium operators to take their responsibilities seriously and invest more in stadium security. “We want to work together with them to ensure safety, rather than sending bills at the end” the minister said.
Following a decade-long legal battle over police costs, the German Football League (DFL) was unsuccessful in its appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court on Tuesday morning. As a result, clubs may be billed for the additional costs of high-risk matches in the future.