The Swiss Football League (SFL) remains firmly opposed to the introduction of personalized tickets. This was made clear in a discussion with the media in Bern on Wednesday.
In this media discussion on the topic of "Security in Swiss professional football", Claudius Schäfer, CEO of the SFL, firmly rejected the introduction of personalized tickets, as "they are not expedient, but counterproductive and provocative".
Schäfer emphasized that, according to the police "Coordination Platform Sport", fan violence is declining significantly. Although the number of spectators in the Super League and Challenge League rose above the 3 million mark for the first time last season, matches with violent incidents decreased - from 27% to 17% in the last two years. At the same time, the number of football matches without incidents rose from 42% to 55%.
The SFL's objections are directed against the cascade model introduced this season by the cantonal justice and police directors, who are examining the introduction of personalized tickets. Unfortunately, there is no longer any dialogue with the KKJPD at the moment, criticized the league, which pays the state CHF 20 million per year via the clubs for security outside the stadiums, although this field of action is not actually the responsibility of the clubs.
Risk to financial health?
Claudius Schäfer went on to list the arguments against personalized tickets: the standing room, which is still desirable, the admission times (due to identity checks), the hardly enforceable seating obligation and, in addition to the administrative effort, above all the additional financial expense for the clubs, which the SFL calculates at up to one million francs per club.
It is precisely for these reasons that the major leagues in Germany, England, Spain and France have not introduced personalized tickets. And in Italy, where tickets have long been personalized, the problems have not been solved.
However, the Swiss Football League is well aware that if personalized tickets are introduced politically, the league will have no other option but to implement them. However, the league considers personalized tickets to be a risk to the financial health of Swiss professional football.
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