No Pyros, No Party?

When looking at football matches in Germany from the UK the appearance of pyrotechnics is met with a degree of incredulity by many.  They are not a feature of the English football scene so their impact is felt all the more strongly when they are seen erupting on the terraces in the Bundesliga.

Having now spent many years watching German football both live and on the TV I have become accustomed to away fans occasionally lighting up to make their presence felt.  Being accustomed is one thing but my feelings towards them remain strangely mixed.   

You cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer spectacle of it all.  The glare and the smoke combined with the somewhat bloody minded defiance of the ultras concerned determined to support their team regardless of the consequences. 
There is something tribal about the Ultras, faces covered; waving their flaming red torches in what they would argue is true support of their team. 

Observing this on the TV and even from the other side of the stadium is one thing but up close?  That is something else entirely.  I say this as someone who as a child, took an array of fireworks and put them inside miscellaneous model planes and ships so I could then blow them to pieces.  (I sometimes wonder how I survived my childhood.)

Hertha Ultras away - thanks for the photo Maria!

Putting aside my childhood pyromania there is a more serious side to supporting a team by the use of Pyros.  The ultras concerned claim that they are the true supporters of their team and to be fair who can doubt their commitment. 

The flags, drums, chants and singing add so much to the atmosphere of Bundesliga games and attract admirers from across the globe.  

Having said this, it is not those ultras who have to pay the inevitable and sometimes massive fines that rain down on the clubs concerned after these pyrotechnic displays. 

At the risk of pointing out the glaringly obvious Hertha is not a rich club.  Every Euro used by a club in paying these fines mean Euros not spent: on getting better players, better facilities or better services but rather going straight down the drain.

To this aging pyromaniac, spectacular though these displays may be, and I cannot deny part of me enjoys them, perhaps the Ultras would be better to find a less counterproductive vehicle for their passion.