In its annual reports to the National Council and Federal Council on preventive human rights monitoring, the Austrian Ombudsman Board has been criticising for years that banned pyrotechnics have been able to enter stadiums unhindered, but so far without success, according to Rosenkranz.
"The Austrian Ombudsman Board approached the Federal Ministry of the Interior on 5 September to announce a round table of all stakeholders on the issue of pyrotechnics in stadiums. Due to the current situation, I have invited representatives of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, ÖFB, SK Rapid and FK Austria Wien to the Ombudsman Board for 15 October," explains Rosenkranz. Questions of competence and excuses as to who is responsible for security are unnecessary for a solution to protect stadium visitors; practical solutions are required. Rockets, such as those recently fired into the family sector at the derby, are conspicuous enough not to be overlooked during real security checks.
"It's a mystery to me how such objects can be overlooked," said Rosenkranz. "Zero tolerance and effective prevention also apply to violence in stadiums. It's not about police OR clubs, but about police AND clubs!" The problem is not only known in Austria, but in all European countries. In Great Britain, for example, various measures have already been able to greatly reduce the dangers. Rosenkranz is confident that risks to the physical safety of sports fans can also be averted in Austria.
Pyrotechnics in the stadium
Picture credits: Chivista/Wikimedia