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35 years after tragedy: Remembering BFC Dynamo fan Mike Polley
On November 3, 1990, a BFC Dynamo fan was shot dead during a game at the Leutzsch Stadium. Commemorations and investigations follow.
35 years after tragedy: Remembering BFC Dynamo fan Mike Polley
November 3, 2025 marks the anniversary of the tragic incident in which BFC Dynamo fan Mike Polley was shot during a soccer match between FC Berlin and FC Sachsen Leipzig in Leutzsch, 1990. Polley, 18, was hit in the back by a police officer from 40 meters away, resulting in his instant death. Five other fans were injured in this incident, some seriously. The police justified the action with self-defense because there had previously been clashes between rival hooligans at the Leipzig-Leutzsch train station. In total, police officers fired 58 shots during the incident.
Despite extensive investigations against ten people's police officers, they were discontinued after a certain time by the Leipzig public prosecutor's office. The tragic incident left a deep wound in the fan scene. BFC Dynamo fans regularly commemorate Mike Polley through various campaigns and events. In 2018, for example, a funeral march and a visual campaign took place in the Alfred Kunze Sports Park to commemorate the tragedy.
Eternal memory of Mike Polley
At the crime scene in Leipzig-Leutzsch there is a memorial plaque that was put up by the fans of Chemie Leipzig. This plaque is not only a memorial, but also a symbol of how deeply the fans weigh this loss. Mike Polley remains unforgotten and is regularly honored by BFC Dynamo supporters in various activities and funeral marches.
The confrontation and the subsequent events not only shed light on the tragedy of a personal story, but also raise questions about the security and de-escalation strategies of the police and authorities during football games. But the emotional burden that such incidents bring on the relatives and the fan community cannot be neglected.
Mike Polley's story shows that football is much more than a game. His memory lives on in the hearts of fans and serves as a reminder not to forget old wounds and not to lose sight of what happened back then.