As reported in ONE, the police are considering activating pyrotechnics with a permit on the football pitches. In the past, there has been talk that it may be possible to approve the operation of pyrotechnics under review, when a special area in the stadium will be allocated for the purpose. In a special discussion at the end of the month with the participation of senior police officers related to the Tel Aviv area and the region, members of the football leagues, the association, stadium managers and representatives of the Tel Aviv teams, the issue will be examined. But what does that actually mean? And how does it work in the rest of the world?
The first to lift the glove was the Norwegian Association. As early as 2005, the Fan Association contacted the Football Association, and conditions were formulated for the operation of the pyrotechnics, including a law prohibiting the use of flammable accessories during the game itself, but before and after it. In Sweden things worked out a little differently: the association in the country recognized the problem, and offered a solution whereby fans could ask for permission from the police before each game, but to date no approval has been given for the use of pyrotechnics there, and police even ban the use of these means.
Where is the success? One of the sections in the Swedish law for the approval of pyrotechnics, indicates that if no police approval was obtained, and the club fans still lit pyrotechnics, but kept the safety rules, the group will not receive a fine (or at least not a high fine), which encourages the audience to stick as much as possible For safety instructions.
Overseas, in the US, the flagship club in legal pyrotechnics is undoubtedly the Orlando football club. Quite simple: an approved pyrotechnic zone has been set up in the standing stand (which is also the first standing stand in the US). The approval is given after scoring a goal and before / after the whistle only. Currently, several other teams have joined the initiative, including the New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers.
The German Association is the latest to join. In February 2020, 10 Hamburg fans were given permission to operate torches in a designated area, in the second league game against Karlsruhe. The activity took place in a designated part of the stands, and in full coordination with the police. And what about the dangers? In November 2016, the UEFA published a document by Dr. Tom Smith, examining the dangers of using pyrotechnics. The findings were not simple: claims of burns, fires and smoke inhalation, all claims incidentally, well-founded and correct. 80 games in which the use of pyrotechnics was used, no one was injured.
There is no magic solution to the problem of pyrotechnics on the pitches, but from all the countries that have taken the issue seriously, whether they approved the use or not, one key understanding emerges: there must be dialogue between the association, police and fans, and at least for now.
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