A stadium ban is a civil law measure prohibiting a person from entering the football and ice-hockey stadiums of all teams in the top two leagues. The stadium operator and/or the home club is responsible for issuing and enforcing the measure. If violated, the offender can be reported to the police for trespassing.
To help curb violence sports clubs and associations can ban troublemakers from stadiums. The cantonal and municipal authorities also have a range of instruments under the ‘Intercantonal Agreement on Measures to Prevent Violence at Sporting Events’ to prevent outbreaks of violence. The measures include:
- exclusion orders, which prohibit a person from entering or being in a certain area during a certain time;
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- the obligation to report to the police, which compels a person to report to the police at certain times, especially during a sporting event;
- police custody, which means a person may be detained by the police for a specific period of time.
fedpol can impose a travel restriction on a person to prevent them from travelling to certain sporting events abroad, such as the Champions or Europa League away matches of Swiss clubs. It can also recommend stadium bans, or apply to municipal or cantonal police services to issue an exclusion order or impose a duty to report on known troublemakers.
To ensure security in public areas, including the journey to and from a sporting event, the police can adopt measures to separate opposing fans. For example, the police can specify at which stations trains transporting supporters may stop, or on which routes supporters may march. The police may also stagger the departure of opposing fans from a venue at the end of a game in order to defuse potential flashpoints.
At international matches by the Swiss national football team fedpol can deploy so-called spotters ‒ police officers familiar with the football scene who can intervene if trouble breaks out. They accompany and assist Swiss fans at away matches, and support foreign authorities with safety-related matters.
Last modification 30.07.2025