German politician: Named tickets needed to stop stadium violence

Personalized tickets for German football fans is the best way to try to curb fan violence and the scourge of pyrotechnics in stadiums, the interior minister of the state of Saxony told dpa on Thursday.

The interior ministers of the German states are meeting in Hamburg to try to find solutions to the issue. Most supporters are vociferously against names on tickets as they believe police will target specific fans and freedoms will be curtailed.

"I think it makes sense from the first to the third division, but I admit it is a highly controversial topic among fans and the German Football Federation and league do not have it easy," Armin Schuster said.

Second tier Dynamo Dresden, who play in Saxony, are among the German clubs to have had problems with fan violence in the past.

Schuster pointed to UEFA competitions having named tickets. He said that was why it was possible for authorities in Leipzig to ban troublemakers before the Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano held in the Saxon city last month.

Schuster has even proposed his state could pilot personalized tickets.

"We would have clubs in Saxony (who would try it)," he added. "But we have to manage to preserve German fan culture in stadiums."

The politician has come up against opposition from within the ministers' meeting, with Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck saying personalized tickets should only be used for very high-risk events.