The Zurich district court sentenced two FCZ supporters on Tuesday for attacking fans of the German football club Bayer Leverkusen. The two people from Zurich, aged 31 and 28, received conditional prison sentences.
The two violent fans were punished with imprisonment of 6 and 7 months respectively. But they don’t have to go to jail. Enforcement is conditional, with a trial period of two years.
The surveillance camera of a hotel accidentally recorded the attack on the Bayer Leverkusen fans. The two accused were even recognizable. For the court there was therefore no doubt that the two were involved in the act.
Fine would probably have done nothing
The judge was visibly annoyed by the aggression and the futility of the attack. “We really see no reason to attack other fans like that,” she said at the opening of the verdict. “It is a pity. Football could be fun. “
It was clear to the court that a fine would make too little impression on the two people from Zurich. As a result, it imposed a conditional sentence, even though both men have no previous convictions. The verdict is not yet legally binding. It can still be drawn before the Supreme Court and the Federal Court.
“Beat up for no reason”
The attack came after the Europa League game between FC Zurich and Bayer Leverkusen on October 25, 2018. On the lawn, the Zurich beat the Germans 3-2, which is why a group of Leverkusen fans the frustration afterwards with a beer at the Langstrasse washed down.
There was the next nasty surprise for the guest fans: Suddenly they were attacked by around 15 FCZ fans and “beaten up for no reason whatsoever”. The German fans were downright beaten, said the prosecutor.
That was a pointless reduction in frustration, even though the FCZ even won. Three Leverkusen fans were injured by kicks and punches and had to seek treatment.
Almost 10,000 francs were paid
Ten FCZ fans were then arrested and placed in custody. The two now convicted were two of them. The others have to answer in separate processes.
After the arrest, the two people from Zurich made an “agreement” with the injured party. They paid them 9,720 francs so that they would declare their disinterest in prosecution. However, this “agreement” did not help the people of Zurich. The case went to court anyway because such an attack is an official offense that is being prosecuted anyway.
The lawyers demanded acquittals for their clients – just for formal reasons. The images from the surveillance camera on which the attack was recorded are not admissible as evidence because the camera comes from a hotel, i.e. from private individuals.
According to a fundamental decision by the Federal Supreme Court, pictures from private cameras may also be admitted as evidence in the case of serious criminal offenses. The district court also assumed that the Zurich judiciary could have made the recordings itself. That is why these pictures can be used. (SDA)