A 28-year-old Hoffenheim fan was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday for throwing a firecracker during a men's Bundesliga football match.
Around a dozen people, including several children, were injured when the particular firecracker - which is not authorized in Germany - was set off by the man during a game in Augsburg in November 2023.
It was not a normal case of pyrotechnics being used in a German stadium, presiding judge Christoph Kern said. It was instead a "massive explosives incident" that had left 26,000 people in the Augsburg ground fearing a terrorist attack, he added.
The 1-1 draw between Augsburg and Hoffenheim had to be interrupted, partly to treat the injured.
The public prosecutor at the Augsburg district court had called for four years and 10 months in prison for a "particularly reckless" act of grievous bodily harm, which had injured children simply because the accused wanted to attract "maximum attention."
The man has apologized for his actions several times. "It was just stupid," he said at the end of the trial. He had paid compensation to a victim who will probably suffer from tinnitus forever.
His defence lawyer had asked for a two-year prison sentence, which should be suspended. The lawyer pointed out that the 28-year-old had already been in custody for more than five months.
Three other people were charged with aiding and abetting the accused and received suspended prison sentences.