Swiss Football and Ice Hockey Officials team up to stamp out hooliganism
The presidents of the Swiss national football and ice hockey leagues, have agreed to join forces in an attempt to stamp out the recent spate of hooligan violence which has sullied the normally good reputation of Swiss sport.
In a telephone conference with the director of the Federal Sport Office, Heinz Keller, and the president of the Swiss Olympic Association, they agreed to work together to put an end to the recent violent outbreaks at Swiss sporting events.
“Everyone who took part in this telephone conference agrees that we must do everything in our power to combat the recent violence we have seen in the football and ice hockey stadiums in Switzerland,” Keller said.
The four men will meet in person on May 8 in Bern where they will consider the analysis of the clashes between rival fans at the national ice hockey final between Lugano and ZSC Lions earlier this month.
There are already security measures in place which the Swiss sport federations follow, but what came out of the teleconference was that these safety guidelines need to be enforced more stringently. One such example is stepping up the amount of checks on spectators as they enter the stadium.
The question of alcohol was raised up during the telephone meeting but a total ban on drink in stadiums was not deemed necessary. The subject is however open to further discussion.
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