Following the rioting by the club's own fans at the Europa League match in Birmingham, YB President Marcel Brülhart takes to the blue Sport microphone and speaks plainly.
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- Following the fan scandal in Birmingham, YB President Marcel Brülhart talks about the incidents in an interview with blue Sport and expresses his disappointment.
- Brülhart announces far-reaching consequences and wants to seek talks with the Bernese fan groups.
- He also calls for: "We need more prosecution of individual offenders in Switzerland again."
YB president Marcel Brülhart has "really, really bad feelings" when he thinks about the incidents during last Thursday's Europa League match in Birmingham. "I was incredibly disappointed. I feel very sorry for our YB family, the environment and the people who give their best every day. A red line was crossed," Brülhart chose clear words in an interview with blue Sport.
The YB fans caused a scandal at Villa Park: opposing players were pelted with cups, stadium seats flew onto the pitch and there was a brawl with the police. As a result, eight Swiss fans were arrested. One of them was sentenced to two months in prison, three others have to stand trial.
"The scene has grown considerably"
"You can see that something is happening in Birmingham and that's right. This must also be the order of the day in Switzerland again," says Brülhart and demands: "We need to prosecute individual offenders more strongly in Switzerland again. This has more or less been abandoned in recent years."
It remains to be seen what sanctions UEFA will impose on the Bernese. "We have to wait and see what the official allegations are. Then we will draw the consequences," announced the 57-year-old. "But we will go further. We have to talk tough with the fan organizations, they will have to take on more responsibility. The scene has grown a lot in recent years, it's getting out of hand and we can't accept that."
However, the problems can only be tackled effectively by working together. "We, the fans, but also the authorities need to get our act together," says Brülhart. "Together we have to get a grip on this. It can't go on like this."
