Arrested in Dortmund: football, the Ruhr and the stadium
Dortmund has the largest football stadium in Germany and a supporter culture to match. For a visiting fan the risk is not only a criminal charge: it is the stadium banning order, which is imposed separately and reaches people who were never prosecuted.
What actually happens here
- Match days. Public order proceedings, resisting officers, pyrotechnics and damage, concentrated around the stadium and the transport routes.
- Stadium bans. Imposed administratively and separately from the criminal case, they can reach a visiting supporter who has never been charged. The equivalent Italian framework is in the guide on football and public order.
- Group identification, where presence in a group is not participation in what individual members did.
- Industrial and logistics proceedings across the Ruhr, on safety and environmental matters.
- Nightlife in the centre, and the ordinary caseload of a large city.
The banning order is the measure that will actually affect a visiting supporter, because it surfaces the next time they buy a ticket anywhere. Leaving the country does not end it, and it is served in the person's absence.
The German clock, in short
The constitutional limit applies in Dortmund as everywhere: a judge by the end of the following day, then detention or the alternatives under the code. Germany has no bail as a standalone route: a deposit is one of the conditions a court can attach when suspending a detention order. The full framework is in the guide for Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be banned from stadiums without a conviction?
Yes. Bans are imposed administratively and separately from the criminal case, and can reach someone never prosecuted.
I was in the group but did nothing.
Presence is not participation. Individual conduct must be attributed, and identification from footage in a crowd is contestable.
I have gone home. Is it over?
No. The criminal case continues and the ban is served in your absence. Both need an address for service and a lawyer on record.
How long before I see a judge?
By the end of the day following the arrest, which is a constitutional limit.
If this is happening now
The address and the documents that answer flight risk have to exist before the judge sees the case in Dortmund. First contact is free and covered by professional privilege, at any hour.