Shock and outrage over violent football fans
Senior Swiss football officials have expressed dismay about hooligans forcing a top-flight match to be called off on Sunday. Politicians and the federation have come under pressure to take action.
Stephan Rietiker, president of the former giants Grasshopper Zurich, said tougher punishments for football hooligans are needed.
“In this country, car drivers get tougher penalties than hooligans,” he told a news conference on Monday.
Angry Grasshopper supporters threatened to storm the pitch after their team fell 4-0 behind to Lucerne. The defeat sealed the relegation of the 27-times Swiss champions from the top division and ending an unbroken 68 years in the top league.
Rietiker said he will look for talks with the minister for sport, Viola Amherd, and the Swiss Football League (SFL).
“A mix of repression and dialogue is needed. It is a problem of society,” Rietiker said.
The Lucerne cantonal prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident.
For his part, the SFL president, Heinrich Schifferle, said he was shocked about Sunday’s incident in Lucerne but he appeared to be unable to react.
“We will discuss [possible sanctions], analyse the situation and then take measures. But I not in a position to give you more details,” he was quoted by public radio SRF. “
It was the second such incident involving Grasshopper supporters in two months, but Swiss football in general has been plagued by fan violence over the years.
More
Football hooligan sent to jail in landmark trial
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.