German soccer clubs must bear part of the increased costs of policing during high-risk matches, the federal Constitutional Court said on Tuesday, ending more than a decade of dispute over who should shoulder the additional financial burden of such matches.
The court ruled that the 2014 Bremen law, which requires clubs to cover their share of such increased costs, is constitutional.
He rejected a constitutional complaint filed by the German Football League (DFL), which runs the top two professional leagues.
The dispute has its roots in a law passed in Bremen that required professional soccer clubs to contribute financially to increase police numbers required at matches deemed high-risk and likely to cause fan trouble.
So far, Bremen is the first state to introduce such payments for all large commercial events with more than 5,000 spectators, which experience has shown can lead to violence.
The DFL could not immediately be reached for comment.
