To the point: Just missed
Last weekend's Zurich derby has been—and continues to be—the talk of the town. Following the violent riots and the suspension of the game, the presidents of GC and FCZ are holding a joint press conference.
Both are shaken and the tone is accordingly. Tough, but honest. GC president Leutwiler: "These are antisocial elements, beyond good and evil." Leutwiler continues, "They should be yanked by the 'grind'! Put pictures on the Internet! Immediately condemn!" FCZ president Canepa also speaks plainly: "We have to let a minority constantly dance around on our noses. If we put their pictures on the Internet to identify chaotic players, I immediately receive a letter from a data protection officer in Bern. That disgusts me! This is madness! Do we have to let ourselves be terrorized by such idiots for much longer?"
The headlines in the Swiss media also speak volumes. Here is a small excerpt, of the - with exceptions - not always very imaginative headlines: "The disgrace of Zurich, The black Zurich football derby, Black Sunday at Letzigrund, Desolate scenes at Letzigrund, Hooligans end Zurich derby, Demolition and low point in Zurich derby, Derby of shame, A deep black derby, Flaming inferno instead of fiery derby, Black day for football, Beyond good and evil, A derby that makes tears flow, Flashpoint Super League, Another black day for Swiss football, Letzi disgrace: Derby stopped because of hools". Politicians are speaking out - after all, it's election time. Most of them plead for a tougher approach. In discussions, the blame is passed back and forth, and in letters to the editor and Internet comments, the stakes are high. Everyone agrees that things can't go on like this and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice as quickly as possible.
On Tuesday, Blick published a picture of a suspected hooligan. He is said to have thrown petards into the GC fan sector. The hooligan is clearly recognizable. And there is already a reaction. This time it is not the federal data protection officer, as Canepa feared. This time it is the chairman of the Press Council who castigates the publication of the picture. "The media are in principle no helpers of the police," Dominique von Burg said in response to an inquiry from sda. The reprinting of recognizable faces, he said, could only be justified if there was an acute danger, such as in the case of a terrorist attack. "This was clearly not the case here." True! The acute danger only exists in the next game.
The intervention of the Press Council sends the wrong signal.
Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
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