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Banger-throwing fan hit with €30,000 fine

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Banger-throwing fan hit with €30,000 fine
Cologne fans invade the pitch in Gladbach in February 2014. Photo: DPA

Cologne's state court ordered a 41-year-old football fan to pay a €30,000 fine on Wednesday after he threw a banger into another section of the stands, hurting seven people.

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“The banger-thrower argued that he was no longer in his right mind because he had been consuming alcohol and cannabis,” the judge said.

Blood tests later revealed that the fan had a blood alcohol level of 1.7 parts per thousand – more than three times the level which would earn someone a driving ban for taking the wheel.

“This argument doesn't hold up. The court isn't ruling on his personal guilt but on who is responsible for paying the plaintiff's costs.”

Cologne's 1. FC Köln brought the case after the club was ordered to pay €30,000 by the German Football Association (DFB) following the banger attack in August 2014.

“We were obliged to claim damages, just for reasons of liability” 1. FC Köln CEO Alex Wehrle told Bild.

The club had previously refused a settlement, hoping that the punishment will send a strong signal to potential troublemakers in the future.

It is still trying to recover €200,000 that it was forced to pay after fans threw fireworks and stormed the pitch at a match in Gladbach in February 2014.

“We are victims, not perpetrators, in all of these cases,” Wehrle said.

Bild reported that the fan was also sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay €4,000 in compensation by another court.

SEE ALSO: Internet enables new wave of football violence

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