German legislation change provides Euro followers inexperienced mild to occasion

English and Scottish football fans have been given the green light to party at Euro 2024 after Germany announced the easing of strict noise restriction laws. 

Under their bizarre quiet time rules, known as Ruhezeit, Germans can face jail time if they are reported to be making too much noise at lunchtime, late at night or at anytime on a Sunday. 

Before the announcement football fans faced the prospect of watching the beautiful game in near silence late at night or on Sundays otherwise bars and fan zones risked the prospect of being fined. 

However, an announcement by German officials that Ruhezeit will be scrapped for one-month during the Euro tournament means England fans will now be able to sing Four Lions as loud as they like, while the Tartan Army can dance to Yes Sir I Can Boogie to their heart’s content. 

The German government decided to change the law because over half the tournament’s 52 games do not kick off until 9pm which means they will not be finished until around 11pm. 

A source told the Scottish Sun: ‘Germany’s noise laws are really strict – and the punishments for breaking the curfew can be really harsh. The tournament would have been impossible without this change.’

German Environment Minister Oliver Krischer said: ‘We want this great football festival to be able to take place in the stadiums and at major events with public viewing.

‘But also in the small corner pub and in the beer garden, where football fans want to watch and celebrate.’

Some laws will remain in place. For example, speakers will have to be placed as far away from residents as possible and the volume will have to be kept low. 

Scotland will be playing Germany in the opening game of the tournament in Munich on June 14 at 9pm. With the new law change Scottish fans will be able to give the team their full support. 

England will be playing their first game of the tournament in Gelsenkirchen against Serbia on Sunday June 16. 

The German decision to scrap the uber-strict noise laws mean the groundsmen at the city’s Veltins-Arena will be able to trim the pitch – as lawn mowers are usually banned on Sundays along with washing machines and even vacuuming. 

There is a chance England and Scotland could play each other in the tournament as early as July 5. If Scotland come first in Group A and England finish runners-up of Group C the home nations will face each other in the quarter-finals at Stuttgart. 

Currently, England are among the bookies favourites to win Euro 2024, followed by France and host nation Germany. 

In April, it was reported that football fans could be banned from bringing fruit into the stadiums after UEFA listed the healthy snack as a prohibited item that fans can’t bring into the grounds, alongside alcohol. 

Punishments include ‘expulsion from the stadium with a report to the police or a stadium ban for the whole or part of Euro 2024. 

UEFA’s list of prohibitions for the tournament actually prohibits fans from bringing any food or liquid into grounds, but they make a particular point about the fruity goods, writing: ‘including fruit, such as apples, bananas, oranges, etc.’

If anybody needs them for medical reasons, that’s okay, but the stadium authorities must be notified in advance.

There’s also a block on vuvuzelas, so don’t expect the tournament to evoke many memories of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. 

The Sun reports that the food ban is in place to boost Germany’s sausage sales during the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 14. 

A standard sausage at a ground will set fans back £3.77 and if you’re lucky enough to attend the final, your wallet will be complaining at an enhanced sausage tax: £4.77.

As well as food and drink, there are all the standard bans on items for stadiums – such as a ban on weapons, pyrotechnics, drones, ladders, laser pointers, or political propaganda.