On the trail of the crime at the football stadium

The lecture and discussion will focus on the duties of stewards at football stadiums. Patrick Paulick, board chairperson of the Safety Committee of the Brandenburg Football Association (FLB), will speak on this topic. The event will be chaired by Dr Dirk Marx, Coordinator of the postgraduate Master’s programme in Forensic Sciences and Engineering.

The FLB is the supervisor of grassroots football in Brandenburg and thus fulfils a role in state policy. In the district league, it sets out the order and safety criteria which – in consultation with the state’s Ministry of the Interior – fall outside the remit of law enforcement but nevertheless have a constructive influence on sporting events. This helps to professionalise amateur football.

Background

The postgraduate programme in Forensic Sciences and Engineering (M.Sc.) at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (BTU) – the only one of its kind in Germany – is organising the lecture series under the patronage of the Brandenburg Football Association (FLB). Using FC Energie Cottbus e.V. (FCE) as a case study, the series focuses on the ‘crime scene’ of the Bundesliga football stadium. Operational and match safety in professional football are the main focus of this series of events. 

The starting point for this is the ongoing debate, which has most recently led to public demonstrations by the fan community through protests during prime-time television. The lecture series ‘ON THE TRAIL OF THE CRIME IN THE FOOTBALL STADIUM’ is an initial attempt to discuss safety issues objectively and neutrally. 

The topic of safety is examined from various perspectives as an essential part of match operations in professional football. In this respect, the requirements and implications, as well as expectations regarding a safety concept and the day-to-day running of professional football, must also be examined from an academic perspective. The German Football Association (DFB) expressly supports this initiative.