A phone-free Yellow Wall: are Dortmund urging fans to be present or policing them?

Borussia Dortmund launched an app feature offering rewards such as signed jerseys and gift cards to fans who stay off their phones during matches. The initiative, partnered with sponsor Vodafone Germany, tracks phone unlocks via a "fan mode" to encourage supporters to focus on the game. The move follows similar measures across German soccer to curb disruptive influencer activity.

Writer Leander Schaerlaeckens argues that the program raises difficult questions over whether sports clubs should dictate how paying fans experience games. While clubs like Hertha Berlin and Dynamo Dresden have banned commercial influencer filming to protect TV rights, Schaerlaeckens suggests ordinary supporters may push back against teams attempting to regulate their personal behavior in the stands.