Football Clubs Unite Against New Police Masking Ban

Multiple Swedish football clubs are vocally opposing a new police regulation banning the masking of fans in stadiums, which they argue could exacerbate disorder rather than improve safety. On September 17, 2025, clubs including Gais, IFK Göteborg, AIK, Djurgården, Hammarby, Malmö FF, and IFK Norrköping issued statements highlighting concerns regarding the recent directive from the police. They contend that these new rules may lead to matches being interrupted if any form of organized masking is detected during games.

The police's directive states that event organizers are required to halt matches if unauthorized masking disrupts order and safety. This approach has been met with considerable backlash. Five clubs from West Sweden—Gais, IFK Göteborg, Elfsborg, BK Häcken, and Örgryte—along with several Stockholm teams, expressed their belief that the new measures bear serious consequences that outweigh the offenses they're supposed to address. They argue for a return to the previously successful exclusion strategy, which focused on penalizing individual offenders rather than imposing collective punishment on all supporters.

The clubs highlight that this exclusion strategy had already proven effective in reducing instances of masked individuals, contributing to better crowd management and fewer disturbances. Per Engström, head of the National Operational Department, defended the directive by suggesting that eliminating masks during matches would resolve disruptions, a sentiment perceived as underestimating the concerns raised by the clubs.

As this conflict heats up, the collective criticism from these clubs underscores a growing frustration with police methods and raises pivotal questions about crowd safety and management in Swedish football