The condition ladder can disappear - replaced with the "exclusion strategy"

The so-called "condition ladder", where organizers (clubs) are punished in various ways in the event of disturbances, has since 2019 created a tense situation between the police and large parts of the organized supporter movement.

Among other things, the police have chosen to introduce collective punishments as public restrictions on firing with pyrotechnics.

When the Swedish football season is now about to start in earnest, the police and Sef seem to have agreed on a new plan, which GP was the first to report on ..

- We have had a respectful dialogue for quite some time and it is also now that it results in a common strategy.

There are a few pieces of the puzzle left before it is completely fixed.

We hope to be able to go out in a joint communiqué with the police next week.

But it is quite communicated at this point that we should try to work more with what we call "exclusion strategy", that is, more focused on the people who actually commit crimes in our arenas, says Mats Enquist to SVT Sport.

"Common starting points"

He clarifies the differences with the "conditional ladder":

- The big difference now is that we focus on those who actually commit crimes and disturbances instead of using the more sweeping approach such as flag bans or general downsizing of the stands.

They have proven to be less effective and accurate.

We want to take the individuals who commit the more serious trampling.

It is now a way of working that is more collaborative and more based on common points of departure that we can both stand behind.

Enquist emphasizes, however, that there is still some way to go before the strategy can be realized.

- It is internal with the police.

It's about documents, manuals and everything that has to land before it's completely clear.

But it definitely points in the right direction.

Together with the police regionally, we have already had meetings with our associations, so the basic tone has always felt positive.

Believe in a better relationship

Can this make the police and supporters have a better relationship going forward?

- I really hope so, and I think the police hope so too.

There is no reason for a conflict between police and supporters.

This is not a good situation.

It should, of course, be the case that those who have committed crimes should feel a concern.

We saw in the match between Djurgården and Malmö that it was interrupted after a second banger, what applies in such situations?

- It's about football's own regulations.

If things happen that allow people to risk a direct injury, which we know bangers do when we have examples of people who have had hearing damage, we take the hardest level.

This means a direct match break and then a match break where you get off the field.

Then it is up to the organizer, together with the police and rescue service and the associations, to find the situation where you can resume the match.

There are actually all the means available for the organizer's readiness, including that in the worst case, if it is extremely chaotic, empty the arena in the end.

We hope this never happens.

In the case of bangers, rockets, direct violence, thrown Bengals, the risk is so great that we go into a so-called "staff situation" on standby.

- It has been valid since 2016 and was applied successfully in the beginning.

Then the focus became very much on the discussion about the condition ladder and the pandemic, then maybe people have forgotten about it.