The German Football Association has justified the removal of a pro-Israel banner from the German U21 team’s international match.
During the team’s victory against Israel (2-0) on Tuesday evening in Halle an der Saale, a poster with the inscription “Bring them Home now” was shown in the stands. This was not approved, the DFB said at the request of the German Press Agency on Wednesday evening. “In principle, banners with political messages are not permitted in the stadium at UEFA games,” said the association.
Nevertheless, when the two teams arrived, the banner was unrolled over the boards in the opposing stand. The request to remove the poster was initially complied with after some time. According to the DFB, an aggressive mood developed in this spectator area during the encounter. For this reason, groups with children were moved to other areas of the stadium, the association said.
Criticism of the intervention of the stewards
“When the banner (…) was shown again towards the end of the game, the law enforcement officers intervened for de-escalation reasons and removed the banner,” said the DFB. This approach caused a lack of understanding and criticism on social media. Saxony-Anhalt’s state parliament member Henriette Quade (Die Linke) described the handling of the important message as “absurd and telling”.
Frank Martin, sports show, March 26, 2024 9:19 p.m
This refers to the more than 130 Israeli hostages who have been held captive by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip since October 7th. The demand for the hostages’ release was also accompanied by incomprehension in Halle’s Leuna-Chemie Stadium. As the “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” reported, there were shouts of “boos” in the stands and cups were said to have flown in the direction of the Israeli fans.