Deal paves way for personalised tickets to combat hooligans

Police directors and Swiss football clubs have agreed to introduce personalised tickets for matches of top teams in a bid to prevent violence. Officials said the ten Super League clubs and police directors from the 26 cantons unanimously approved a proposal to let the clubs decide on a case by case basis and as a last resort. The decision is a clear signal that stricter measures are needed to prevent violence at the sidelines of football matches, according to Paul Winiker, who headed up a joint working group. Hooligans must no longer be able to take football hostage, he told a news conference on Monday. Volatile security Reto Nause, police director of the city of Bern, warned of the volatile security situation around football stadiums. The main problem is the arrival and departure of the visiting fans, according to him, notably so-called fan marches which often require special security measures. He added that the agreement paved the way for a licensing policy by local...