The man who climbed under the roof of Dortmund’s stadium during the round of 16 of Euro 2024 against Denmark may have to pay for the police action he unleashed.
“The Dortmund police station is currently investigating whether charges can be levied in this case,” a police spokesperson told dpa.
The man from Osnabrück was caught climbing on the beams under the roof on Saturday. Police kept him under surveillance until the end of the match, when a special task force removed and arrested the 21-year-old. A helicopter was even deployed.
The day after the incident, police said the man had only intended to take photos from the unusual vantage point. Media had speculated that there was a major security breach, as he was wearing a mask and carrying a backpack, but police said the bag contained camera equipment.
Legal framework introduced in 2023
Last August, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Dortmund is located, introduced a fee scale that covers a wide range of scenarios to cover the costs of unnecessary police actions.
This includes, among other things, ‘rescuing or recovering persons if the danger was caused by them intentionally or through gross negligence.’
Billing is based on time and effort, with fines up to €50,000 ($54,000).
Expert criticizes security personnel training
It was not the only security incident during the European Championship. There were also multiple intruders on the pitch and a YouTuber managed to gain access to the opening match on 14 June with a false accreditation and dressed in a mascot costume.
German security expert Harald Olschok blamed the shortcomings on the training of the security personnel and spoke of a “completely wrong qualification for this specific task”.
“The legal requirement is purely theoretical training in the classroom of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry – and this is not suitable for event security,” Olschok told dpa.
He said staff have been taught the rights and duties of security personnel, but that “there is no mention of how to behave in a stadium in Dortmund or Munich.”
Olschok said the training should take place at the location in question and there should be contact with the fire department and emergency personnel.
UEFA also critical, says German Football Association has not accepted the program
Continental organisation UEFA told dpa that it could “very well understand” this criticism, as UEFA itself only partially agreed with the solution “imposed on the organisers by the authorities”.
It was argued that the legal requirements for event stewards to qualify for security duties date back to “very old trade regulations” which are “demonstrably unsuitable for preparing stewards for their specific duties at football matches.”
According to UEFA, a special program for stewards of the German Football Association has not been legally accepted at a political level, “despite the support of all safety experts and UEFA for the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
“Therefore, there is still an additional, time-consuming and impractical legal obligation, which is one of the main causes of the shortage of security and steward staff,” UEFA said.
