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Legal and Policing Responses to Football Crowd Disorder in Austria

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Legal Responses to Football Hooliganism in Europe

Part of the book series: ASSER International Sports Law Series ((ASSER))

Abstract

Football crowd disorder and violence is perceived to be a significant problem in Austrian domestic football. As a result, the legislature, the football authorities and the football clubs have taken action to regulate the behaviour of football spectators and restrict the ability of those believed to pose a risk to public order from attending live matches. This chapter draws upon a study of the Bundesliga in 2007/08 which investigated football crowd behaviour and the utility of measures designed to ensure order and safety in and immediately around football stadia. It concludes that fan training and education are key to reducing problems and improving safety, and warns against the dangers of unnecessary high-profile policing. It also suggests that exclusion of those who have previously engaged in misbehaviour is not always the best approach to improving fan behaviour in Austrian football stadia.

Dr. Ireen Winter is Head of Operational and Strategic Crime at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Criminal Intelligence Service Austria.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Horak et al. 1985, p. 5.

  2. 2.

    As the oldest Austrian football club, in 1894 the ‘First Vienna Football’ was founded by English employees of a company called Rothschild.

  3. 3.

    Only five nations participated in it.

  4. 4.

    Winter 2007, p. 12.

  5. 5.

    Limberger 2003, p. 97.

  6. 6.

    Bundesliga (05 April 2013) http://www.bundesliga.at/index.php?id=144. Accessed 12 January 2015.

  7. 7.

    BGBl I 113/2007.

  8. 8.

    BGBl I 131/2009.

  9. 9.

    Winter and Klob 2011, p. 231.

  10. 10.

    Publication of the research study in six countries expected in 2015.

  11. 11.

    Winter, Jaeger and Geissler 2012, p. 47 ff. Starting in April 2013, four weeks of standardised training per year was offered on a national level to train active spotters all over Austria. In Austria as well as in five other European countries, a current-state-analysis was carried out and based on this, basic and advanced training standards in particular for spotters in Austria but also flexibly applicable for the rest of Europe were developed in a so-called European Best Practice Manual that was published in English in autumn 2013 by Verlag fuer Polizeiwissenschaft.

  12. 12.

    There is no definition as to when an event is considered “major”, hence there is no minimum number of participants or spectators as a prerequisite.

  13. 13.

    VwGH 24.05.2005, 2005/05/0014; further Wess 2008, p. 179; Mayer 2009, p. 164.

  14. 14.

    Ordinance BMI 29.05.2009, GZ.: BMI-EE1920/0008-ZSA/2009. For the comparison with projects of international or Austrian meaning see § 1 Bundes-Sportförderungsgesetz 2005 i.d.F. BGBl I 143/2005.

  15. 15.

    According to the prevailing opinion, a stadium is a venue as defined by the regional event laws; see Mayer 2009, p. 164.

  16. 16.

    VwGH 06.09.2005, 2005/03/0076.

  17. 17.

    Dissenting see Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat (UVS) Styria 07.03.1995, 30.4-98/94.

  18. 18.

    Mayer 2009, p. 164.

  19. 19.

    In detail Feßl 1993, pp. 44–48.

  20. 20.

    Mayer 2009, p. 142.

  21. 21.

    Mayer 2009, p. 61.

  22. 22.

    SEV-No.: 120, dated 01.11.1985.

  23. 23.

    For further details on the Ständigen Ausschuss Europarat (1994), see http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/ger/Summaries/Html/120.htm.

  24. 24.

    Sabitzer 2005, p. 6 f.

  25. 25.

    Wess 2008, p. 180; following a decision of the Austrian Supreme Court dated 23.03.1993, 2 Ob 526/03, which in relation to sports events defines the organiser as the party that creates a dangerous situation by organising and carrying out the competition.

  26. 26.

    Bundesliga 2007a, p. 1 ff; Bundesliga 2008b, p. 1 ff.

  27. 27.

    Österreichischer Fußball-Bund 2007, p. 2.

  28. 28.

    Österreichischer Fußball-Bund 2008, p. 5.

  29. 29.

    Österreichischer Fußball-Bund 2009, p. 8.

  30. 30.

    Jedelsky 2008, p. 196.

  31. 31.

    Regarding the illustration of the German liability of organisers, see Wess 2008, p. 190.

  32. 32.

    Directorate General IV (2003, p. 8) regarding the social support in the EU manual on the prevention of violence in sports.

  33. 33.

    See Verrückte Köpfe Innsbruck (01 April 2009) www.vk91.at/neu/presseaus/index.php?id=110. Accessed 12 January 2015 (link no longer active).

  34. 34.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, (02 February 2013) www.bmi.gv.at/cms/bmi/_news/bmi.aspx?id=7A5A70765696E6E6F4C6F3D&page=0&view=1. Accessed 12 January 2015 (link no longer active).

  35. 35.

    Mayer 2009, p. 17 1 ff.

  36. 36.

    Thanner and Vogl 2010, p. 76 ff.

  37. 37.

    Thanner and Vogl 2010, p. 138.

  38. 38.

    Winter, Jaeger, Geissler 2013, p. 31.

  39. 39.

    See ordinance of the Austrian Ministry of Interior, BMI-SI1810/0050-ZSA/2005.

  40. 40.

    See BMI (01 July 2009) www.bmi.gv.at/cms/bmi/_news/bmi.aspx. Accessed on 26 January 2016.

  41. 41.

    For example Jedelsky 2008, p. 197.

  42. 42.

    In detail Hauer and Keplinger 2005, §§ 19 ff.

  43. 43.

    Jedelsky 2008, p. 199.

  44. 44.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior 2007, p. 1ff. Bundesministerium für Inneres (Hg.) (2007): Empfehlungen für die Durchführung von Public Viewing im Rahmen der EURO 2008 - Schweiz. In: Enquete EURO 2008. Public Viewing - Das ganze Land wird Stadion! Maßnahmen der Bundesregierung. Wien, 1–15.

  45. 45.

    See also Adang and Schreiber 2008, p. 59 ff; Adang O, Stott C (2004) Evaluation of public order policing during EURO 2004. http://policestudies.homestead.com/Euro2004evaluation.html. Accessed 29 January 2015. According to these authors, based on empirically documented findings with regard to the EURO 2004, the choice of as many police measures related to the concrete risk as possible is key and comprehensive gathering of information during the event is inevitable (so-called low or high-profile approach).

  46. 46.

    Concerning the problems with regard to the preparation of the EURO, see Steiner 2008, p. 19.

  47. 47.

    Concerning international police work, see Baasch 2009, p. 67.

  48. 48.

    Andre 2008, p. 117 f.

  49. 49.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 3.

  50. 50.

    See expert interview A3, Z: 102–102; Ad, Z: 373-377; A20, Z: 188-214; A21, Z: 79-81.

  51. 51.

    Mayer 2009, p. 207. The author explains that a prerequisite for the power to point away persons is the existence of a safety area.

  52. 52.

    For more detail on the ‘Ausübung of Zwangsgewalt’ in connection with expulsion and prohibition to return: Mayer 2009, p. 210.

  53. 53.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009,10 f.

  54. 54.

    Thanner and Vogl 2010, p. § 49b, 451.

  55. 55.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 4 f.

  56. 56.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 5.

  57. 57.

    Mayer 2009, p. 190 ff; expert interview A22, Z: 69–71.

  58. 58.

    Thanner and Vogl 2010, § 49b, 472.

  59. 59.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 5.

  60. 60.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 5.

  61. 61.

    Hauer and Kepplinger 2011, § 54, 592.

  62. 62.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 7 ff.

  63. 63.

    According to the Austrian Ministry of Interior, on 30.06.2011 311 persons were registered as ‘Gewalttäter Sport’ (violent sport offenders).

  64. 64.

    Mayer 2009, p. 165.

  65. 65.

    Austrian Ministry of Interior, ordinance dated 29.05.2009, 7 ff.

  66. 66.

    Similar in the German Bundesliga, Krahm 2008, p. 77.

  67. 67.

    Regarding the responsibility under adminstrative criminal law, Mayer 2009, p. 138.

  68. 68.

    Bundesliga 2009: Nr. 8.4.3.2.

  69. 69.

    See News, interview with Michael Zoratti (02 April 2008) www.news.at/articles/0642/270/154351/sicherheits-experte-fußball-em-2008-nicht-hochrisiko-spiele. Accessed 12 January 2015.

  70. 70.

    In more detail Zoratti 2007, p. 54.

  71. 71.

    Mayer 2009, p. 263.

  72. 72.

    In April 2011, 41 stadium bans imposed by the Bundesliga and 6 stadium bans for all over Austria imposed by the ÖFB were brought to the attention of the Austrian Ministry of Interior, see Austrian Ministry of Interior 2011c, 9.

  73. 73.

    See also the decision of the Council of Europe dated 17.11.2003 on the bans on access to venues of football matches with an international dimension (2003/C281/01).

  74. 74.

    Regarding the reform of stadium bans in Germany (effective from 31 March 2008) based on the ‘Positionspapiere zur notwendigen Überarbeitung der Stadionverbots-Richtlinien’ der Interessengemeinschaft der Fanorganisationen (Unsere Kurve) (07 September 2008) www.unserekurve.de/cms/pages/materialien.php. Accessed 12 January 2015.

  75. 75.

    BGBl I 131/2009.

  76. 76.

    See Directive 2007/23/EG of the European Parliament and of the Council dated 23.05.2007, 2007/L 154/1; Salimi 2010, p. 88.

  77. 77.

    Winter and Klob 2011, p. 52 f.

  78. 78.

    Salimi 2010, p. 88.

  79. 79.

    The ban starts with the first spectators entering the stadium and ends after they left the stadium after the event.

  80. 80.

    PyroTG 1974, § 31 and PyroTG 2010, § 40.

  81. 81.

    See Pyrotechik ist kein Verbrechen (16 December 2009) www.pyrotechnik-ist-kein-verbrechen.at. Accessed 12 January 2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal Ministry of the Interior, Criminal Intelligence Service, Vienna, Austria

    Ireen Christine Winter

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  1. Ireen Christine Winter
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Correspondence to Ireen Christine Winter .

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  1. Sport Sciences, University of Paris 11, Orsay, France

    Anastassia Tsoukala

  2. Law School, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Geoff Pearson

  3. Faculty of Law, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Peter T.M. Coenen

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Winter, I.C. (2016). Legal and Policing Responses to Football Crowd Disorder in Austria. In: Tsoukala, A., Pearson, G., Coenen, P. (eds) Legal Responses to Football Hooliganism in Europe. ASSER International Sports Law Series. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-108-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-108-1_8

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