FCS in crisis: Pyro penalty and relegation worries for Saarbrücken!

FCS in crisis: Pyro penalty and relegation worries for Saarbrücken!

The football scene in Germany is currently dominated by an explosive topic: the high penalties for the use of pyrotechnics in stadiums. The situation of 1. FC Saarbrücken (FCS) in particular raises questions. After a bitter 1:2 defeat against Mannheim, new signing Florian Pick, who was involved in 55% of the FCS's goals, was clear: "We are in a relegation battle." The table shows that the FCS has been waiting for a win for twelve games, which doesn't exactly improve the situation. The DFB also imposed a massive fine of 277,000 euros on the club, which is in the context of the high penalties for pyrotechnics activities. The latter is a topic that always stirs people's minds, especially after a season in which the total fine for all clubs was over 12 million euros, as Nw reports.

Florian Pick, who recently married his girlfriend Rebekka in Tyrol, could play a positive role on the offensive. But the FCS's problems seem to be deep-seated. It is also particularly worrying that the two relegation games against Braunschweig alone brought 62,000 euros into the coffers of the DFB criminal authority. This all happens against the background of the FCS taking third place in terms of fines in the 3rd league, behind Dynamo Dresden and Waldhof Mannheim, who had to hand out even higher penalties.

Debate about pyrotechnics

Is improvement in sight? Far from it. Quite the opposite: the debate about how to deal with pyrotechnics in stadiums is getting louder. Jost Peter from the fan advocacy group “Our Curve” expressed strong criticism of the DFB penalty model and described the penalties as ineffective. Current figures show a 73% increase in pyrotechnics incidents compared to the previous season. Matthias Tillmann, CEO of Schalke 04, is in favor of practical solutions and a more open culture of discussion about controlled pyrotechnics.

The situation is stressful for many clubs, including lower-class ones. In the 3rd league, the penalties add up to over 2.2 million euros, a real increase compared to the previous season. Clubs such as 1. FC Köln (924,355 euros), Hamburger SV and Eintracht Frankfurt in particular have paid for the high sum of over 12 million euros that were imposed this season. FC Cologne is at the top of the “podium” for fines – a painful award for the club, which had to increasingly struggle with its fan base and their behavior last season.

Although some of the penalties are used for violence prevention measures, the majority of the income remains with the DFB. Of the 12 million euros, only a good 8 million go to the DFB, while an impressive 6 million euros are donated to football foundations. It remains to be seen whether the reforms demanded in the discussion about pyrotechnics in the stadiums will actually be implemented; it could become a financial catastrophe for many clubs like the FCS.