Amid constant tensions this year between Serie A clubs and Bundesliga fans, Borussia Dortmund ultras have announced a full boycott of tomorrow’s Champions League fixture against Atalanta at the Stadio di Bergamo. BVB supporters traveling to Italy were already fighting against restrictions and harassment ahead of the match. On Tuesday, Dortmund’s Südtribune Alliance confirmed that a broad boycott has been agreed upon.
The issues faced by Borussia Dortmund supporters
Atalanta already restricted ticket purchases for “certain groups” of BVB fans deemed to be a security threat. The Südtribune Alliance also noted that at least 300 Ultras have not been allowed to depart Germany due to flags set up by the German Federal Police. Those Dortmund fans already in Lombardy, the Ultra group claims, have been harassed by Italian police at their hotels and places of accommodation.
All of this, in the words of the Alliance, means that BVB supporters must “run through a legal gauntlet” in order to attend the match. The Dortmund fan association expressed disappointment in Italian, German, and European officials in announcing the boycott. Some disappointment in the club itself for not providing help for the fans was also inherent in the Alliance’s statement.
The Südtribune Alliance Statement
“The Federal Police are conducting searches in German airports in order to apprehend 300 ultras prevented from attending tomorrow’s match on flimsy grounds,” the statement reads. “This despite the fact that such bans were challenged legally and enforcement was suspended.
“Fans must run through a legal gauntlet to attend the match,” the statement continues. “Dortmund fans have never faced such conditions in 16 years of continuous participation in European football. Legal decisions have all already ruled in favor of the fans.
“It is such that, with a heavy heart, we must announce that we won’t be supporting the team on site,” the statement concludes. “We will also simultaneously lodge appeals in conjunction with [support organization] ‘Fanhilfe Dortmund’ as such measures cannot become standard practice.”
