SUPPORT for legalising the use of pyrotechnics by fans at football matches is growing in Germany amid widespread unhappiness over heavy-handed policing and high financial penalties following a successful trial at a Hamburg game.
Representatives of several Hamburg ultras groups – under the watchful eye of trained pyrotechnicians and the local fire brigade - set off 10 smoke pots in front of the North Stand in the Volksparkstadion before a Bundesliga 2 fixture against Karlsruhe in the February of 2020.
The display, which was approved by both the German Football Association and local authorities, took place as both teams walked out onto the park ahead of kick-off, passed off without incident and was declared a resounding success by those involved afterwards.
