German police response to Leeds United pre-season anger with disputed Rostock claim — YEP 30/6/25
By Graham Smyth
Leeds United head to Germany for the second time in as many
years this summer.
Police in Germany have shed light on their reasons for
refusing Leeds United a permit to play friendlies in front of fans this summer.
The Whites are to return to Germany in July for an eight-day
training camp and a pair of pre-season friendlies in plans that mirror last
summer's preparations.
In 2024 fans were left frustrated by German authorities who
asked Leeds to dissuade fans from travelling and insisted details of games had
to be kept under wraps until they were finished.
Leeds revealed last week that despite assurances from the
German FA and their tour operator, the same stance has been taken this summer
and supporters will not be able to travel to attend the friendlies in Germany.
The YEP contacted the regional police and have been given a
statement which suggests the application to have fans at games may have failed
on account of local policing resources not being deemed sufficient and
requiring extra assistance.
Police statement on Leeds United’s Germany pre-season trip
Chief inspector of police Pascal Pettinato, of the State
Office for Central Police Services NRW, told the YEP: "There is an
agreement between the Central Information Office for Sports Operations (ZIS)
and the German Football Association (DFB) regarding international test matches.
Every planned test match with international participation is checked for
certain security aspects.
"These include, for example, that the venue must meet
certain security-related requirements - such as the possibility of fan
segregation - or that the local security authorities must not be required to
request additional nationwide support forces.
"If even one of these security-relevant requirements is
not met, such a test match can only be assessed negatively from a police
perspective. To ensure that a match can still take place, the clubs have the
option of excluding spectators from the event.
"At this point, I would also like to inform you that
not every Leeds United match should have taken place without spectators. For
example, there were initially plans to hold a match in Rostock where, as far as
I know, spectators would have been allowed."
Club sources have told the YEP that there was never any
intention to travel to Rostock, which is more than 450km from their training
base.
Leeds have also pointed out that their inability to sell
match tickets for the friendlies has seen them miss out on significant revenue
for a second successive summer.