Football and alcohol – for many fans, they inevitably belong together. Unfortunately, this combination repeatedly leads to problems in and around the stadiums: violence, verbal abuse, accidents. VfB Stuttgart reacted to this before the Bundesliga opener against VfL Bochum and tightened the blood alcohol limit for stadium goers.
In the Swabian games in their own stadium, which has been called the MHP Arena since this season, only a blood alcohol concentration of 1.0 per mille is allowed from now on, the club announced. So far, the limit was 1.4 per thousand. The reason given by VfB was that last season “there was a noticeable increase in the number of medical and security service calls due to drunk visitors who had had an accident or who needed medical treatment due to their condition”.
While VfB Stuttgart views this development with concern and draws conclusions from it, the reactions of football fans are mixed. Some VfB supporters expressed little understanding for the move on social networks. “I think I’m crazy,” commented one fan. Others, on the other hand, welcomed the new regulation, but also advocated offering cheaper non-alcoholic drinks in the stadium. Some fans of other clubs asked their clubs to do the same as VfB.
In fact, the Swabians are pioneers in the Bundesliga in this regard. According to a listing by “Bild”, the strictest alcohol limit in the league now applies in Stuttgart. In general, only six other Bundesliga clubs have set limits above which entry to the stadium is no longer permitted.
VfB relies on the “personal responsibility of all stadium visitors” and calls on the fans to take care of themselves. At the same time, alcohol controls at the entrance and in the stadium are to be tightened. At 1.0 per mille, the first balance and speech disorders occur. For comparison: driving a car with a blood alcohol content of 1.1 is usually considered a criminal offence.
Sources: VfB Stuttgart / VfB Stuttgart on X / “Image”
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