SK Rapid accept full responsibility for the day's events and in the future will implement the following 10-point plan:1. Stadium Bans:SK Rapid will work in conjunction with outside security agencies to identify and ban as many participants in the pitch invasion as possible. We expect figures of those susceptible to the bans to reach between 70 and 100. The ban will last for a period of between 12 months to 10 years. The sentence has been handed down from the Bundesliga senate and is applicable Austria wide. Those people who are clearly identifiable and have been found of committing serious acts will be subject to further prosecution. The stadium ban comes into effect for the start of 2011/12 campaign. 2. Financial penalties:Those identified as guilty parties will also be liable to foot the clubs financial burden and a payment of 1000, -- must be paid before the completion of the adjoining stadium ban. It may be possible to work 150 hours in lieu of the cash payment subject to a club ruling. 3. Entrance into West and East Stands:Season tickets for the West and East stands for the forthcoming season can now only be bought when a current photo ID is displayed at the time of purchase. Photo ID must also be presented on entering the stadium and all details on the ID must match those on the season ticket. Day replacement tickets will not be made available, as was the case previously, to people who forget their season tickets: Entrance to the stadium will not be possible. The North and South stands are not subject to these new rulings. 4. Entrance with single match tickets: Tickets for individual games in the West stand will not be made available for sale. Entrance into the East Stand for individual matches is possible when a valid photo ID is presented at the ticket office at the time of purchase. The photo ID will again need to be presented to gain access into the ground itself. 5. No storage areas within the Stadium:Until now three storage containers have been made available to our supporters groups. This facility will no longer be made available. 6. Crackdown on illegal usage of flares:SK Rapid has displayed a great tolerance up until this point with regards the illegal usage of flares and pyrotechnics in the Gerhard Hanappi-Stadium. It was thought of as a Gentleman’s Agreement between club and fans. Those identified as using flares have been largely overlooked by the club, despite the club receiving fines on a boardroom level and in spite of the suggested punishments of the Bundesliga. As a consequence of the actions during the Derby, the use of flares will no longer be tolerated. This means that those identified as using flares will be subject to a standard 6 month stadium ban in accordance with league regulations, while those identified as using fire crackers and other forms of pyrotechnics will receive a 24 month stadium ban. The one exception to these rules is a special pyrotechnic permit, which must be strictly adhered to. 7. Objects thrown from stands:A further consequence from the Derby fallout will be our rigorous efforts against those throwing items onto the pitch. A greater presence of stewards on match days will help crackdown on unruly behaviour. CCTV will be used to identify people who throw items onto the pitch and those caught will face a stadium ban of 12 months plus the possibility of subsequent compensation claims. 8. Closed Stadium:Since it has come to light that SK Rapid has made it too easy to bring banned items into the stadium, fans will only have one chance per week to watch the team train. For the rest of the week an accreditation will be required to gain access to the Stadium. 9. Rapid-Village "New":Changes to the Rapid Village are most certainly required. It will now cater to a family orientated visitor base. From the food on offer to the infrastructure (WC, entrances, interior etc), many things will be changed. The new child and family friendly Rapid Village will be supported by our main sponsor Wien Energie. 10. Derby's in Ernst Happel-Stadium:Future Vienna Derby’s (home matches of SK Rapid) will be played in the Ernst Happel Stadium. This will allow for greater security as well as the chance for more of our supporters to see the games. Alongside the above listed points, SK Rapid will focus on long-term security and violence prevention.The club's fan culture will continue to be supported but will see more emphasis placed on fairness and respect.(gw)
22.06.2011