Advertising subject of the ice hockey club Biel divides the minds
Die Hockeyspieler auf den Plakaten des EHC Biel sind mit Äxten bewaffnet und erinnern an Gladiatoren. Wegen der Probleme mit Hooligans in Schweizer Stadien haben nicht alle Freude an den martialischen Bildern.
In an interview with the newspaper Der Sonntag, the Director of the Federal Office of Sport, Matthias Remund, described EHC Biel's posters as a provocation. "The players with their weapons symbolize the Roman culture of competition to the death," he said. The mayor of Biel, Erich Fehr, considers the posters to be borderline, as he told SDA when asked. He was confirming information from an article published in the Bieler Tagblatt and Le Journal du Jura on Thursday. "Today, when sports clubs and the public authorities are working together to combat hooliganism, the way we communicate should be chosen with care," said Fehr. The majority of people who approached him criticized the campaign.
Andreas Blank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of EHC Biel, has no sympathy for the criticism. The crossed axes were not chosen at random, but are reminiscent of the coat of arms of the city of Biel, he said when asked. He also does not consider the slogan "Fight for Biel" to be problematic. "Ice field hockey is not volleyball," said Blank. In ice hockey, things are tough. The accusation that the campaign incites violence is unfair in his eyes. "Thanks to our fan work, we've had peace and quiet in Biel for a long time," emphasized Blank.
Blank admitted that he had also received different reactions to the posters. However, the vast majority reacted positively. The campaign for the current season has been particularly well received by young people. (SDA)
