German police statement and Leeds United 'explanation' as fans demand answers and tour u-turn

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German police say the decision to force Leeds United’s pre-season games behind closed doors is due to ‘safety requirements’ including fan segregation.

Leeds are one of a number of British clubs heading to Germany for pre-season training and fixtures this summer but unlike Aston Villa, Rangers and Coventry City the Whites have been told to leave supporters at home. Privately Elland Road chiefs have expressed frustration with the situation and a lack of clarity around the reasons for the decision, which will see them miss out on significant revenue from gate receipts and deny Daniel Farke’s players the chance to play in front of a travelling support.

The games scheduled for July’s training camp have not been officially announced by Leeds or the clubs they will face, but in a statement to the YEP, chief police commissioner Pascal Pettinato from the State Office for Central Police Services said that concerns over safety requirements at the venues were at the heart of their decision to ban spectators. He said: “As far as I know, these friendly matches take place at smaller sports facilities that do not fully meet the safety requirements (e.g. fan segregation). In order for the matches to take place at all, certain conditions must be met. These include the exclusion of the general public. This means that neither German nor English fans will be allowed to watch. If the other English clubs play at other sports facilities or perhaps even in the football stadiums, these venues can fulfil the security requirements. So it always depends on the individual case and has nothing to do with the club or the supporters of Leeds United.”

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Leeds and the Leeds United Supporters Trust have had an explanation of sorts from German football authorities as to how the process of applying for fan-attended friendlies works. Clubs make applications to the league, then it passes through the German Football Association and on to the police. The explanation included a suggestion that ‘structural conditions’ including fan segregation and rivalries can be determining factors in police decisions over friendlies. It was also suggested that Germany’s hosting of EURO 2024 and the strain placed upon police resources could have an impact on any matches considered ‘high risk’ from a policing point of view.

In a statement released on Thursday the Trust criticised the lack of ‘proactive engagement’ from the relevant authorities. It read: “The Trust have now been in contact with numerous groups including the German Football League, the club’s travel company and we are still waiting to hear from the German FA. We still haven’t been given an explicit reason as to why Leeds United fans can’t attend our games in Germany. Through our conversations, it’s been alluded to that post-Euros police holidays and the categorisation of the games as “high risk” (due to English/German rivalry) are reasons for preventing Leeds fans from attending. However, this is not preventing four other UK-based clubs having travelling fans in attendance. How are Leeds United fans expected to interpret this decision?

“We are continuing to push LUFC to work with the authorities to get some answers at the very least. If this decision isn’t going to be overturned, at a minimum we expect some form of broadcast via official club channels. The lack of proactive engagement with fans from the relevant authorities is, quite frankly, insulting.”

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