Football clubs continue to pay for fan offenses

The German Football Association (DFB) may impose sometimes high fines on clubs if their supporters or spectators disrupt games. Legally, the penalties are to be assessed as purely preventive measures and are therefore permissible, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) decided on Thursday in Karlsruhe. The unsuccessful plaintiff FC Carl Zeiss Jena and fan representatives reacted with criticism, the DFB sees it …