The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss police criticise football authorities’ stance on hooligans

Zurich ultra supporters cheer during a Super League football match between Servette FC and FC Zurich at the Stade De Geneve
Violence last weekend during a Super League match between Servette FC and FC Zurich has reignited tensions. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / SALVATORE DI NOLFI

The Swiss Federation of Police Officers (SFPU) is fed up with violence between fans and has called on the Swiss Football League (SFL) to take more responsibility.  

Clashes last weekend during a match between Servette FC and FC Zurich reignited tensions. The repeated violence is particularly tiring for police officers, who are also unhappy about the SFL’s opposition to preventative measures announced last month.  

The measures, set to be introduced next season, are based on the idea of increasingly severe penalties for repeated instances of violence. However, the plans have been criticised by the SFL, which describes them as “counterproductive”.

+ Hooliganism: Swiss authorities gamble on tough approach

Max Hofmann, general secretary of the police union, told Swiss public radio, RTS, that officers are “sick and tired of putting our health at risk for this.”

The law enforcement representative listed clear objectives: “to get back to the negotiation table, accept the measures that have been proposed, and give this new model a chance to find its way so that we can reduce this violence, which is unacceptable”. 

Collective punishment

The SFL is in favour of the principle of individual punishment. However, the plan devised by the cantons involves collective penalties as a means to de-escalate violence and “prevent injuries or fatalities”, in the words of Fréderic Favre, a member of the Valais cantonal government.  

As a result of these measures, clubs and supporters’ groups will be in the crosshairs of authorities, which is problematic for the SFL.

“The model is inefficient, unilateral and disproportionate,” said SFL spokesperson Philippe Guggisberg. “It does not focus on preventing future acts of violence because it is purely repressive.” 

Swiss football authorities have no intention of lumping all supporters together and instead advocate strengthening and developing existing measures against offenders, starting with stadium bans, area bans and reporting requirements to the police. 

Heated debates to come  

Discussions between the footballing world and authorities are not over yet. In a press release following the disturbances at the match between Servette and Zurich, the police officers’ union expressed surprise that neither club had condemned the violence, even though the Geneva club expressed regret.

And tensions are likely to increase in the days ahead. On Friday, the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors is expected to announce the start of a process of drawing up the legal basis for the introduction of individually named tickets. The aim of these will be to identify and deter violent supporters, but they also enjoy far from unanimous support.

In particular, the cost of introducing such a ticketing system poses a problem, as do the constraints that would arise from monitoring and storing the data involved.

Adapted from French by DeepL/kp,dos 

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Daily news

Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox.

Daily

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

A live scarecrow competition to thrill Denens (VD)

More

Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss

This content was published on The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.

Read more: Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss
Man dies in accident on toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken BE

More

Man dies on Swiss toboggan run

This content was published on A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.

Read more: Man dies on Swiss toboggan run
The Swiss embassy in Tehran reopens

More

Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens

This content was published on The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.

Read more: Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens
Queen of the Netherlands attends European Championship match in Lucerne

More

Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne

This content was published on Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.

Read more: Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne
30-year-old charged with drone flight at Women's European Championships

More

Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025

This content was published on A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.

Read more: Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
257 Swiss companies are members of the SBTi

More

More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

This content was published on A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more: More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR