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Football Club Carl Zeiss Jena Loses AI-Generated Appeal Over Pyrotechnics Fine
Football Club Carl Zeiss Jena of Germany has lost an appeal at the association court of the North-East German Football Association (NOFV) over a fine imposed for the use of pyrotechnics by their fans during a derby against Rot-Weiss Erfurt.
The club had used an AI-generated letter to appeal the fine, but the court rejected it due to the overly detailed letter containing a lot of nonsense and numerous inaccuracies. The presiding judge, Fred Kreitlow, described the appeal as a collection of "unverifiable 'AI hallucinations'".
The appeal was against a verdict that ordered the club to pay 18,400 euros plus a 20% surcharge for unsportsmanlike behavior of fans. Despite the withdrawal of the surcharge, the club is still required to pay the fine, partly for the use of pyrotechnics and smoke bombs.
The club's managing director, Patrick Widera, explained that the AI-based appeal was an ironic protest aimed at highlighting the absurdity and excessive burden of sports court proceedings on clubs without yielding meaningful results. The appeal was unusually lengthy, at 73 pages, matching the typical appeal size, but was intentionally flawed to make their point.
The "Bild" newspaper reported on the court's decision. The appeal by FC Carl Zeiss Jena also mentioned the "hottest stock" in German football, Football Sportfreunde Siegen, but the association court noted that this is unrelated to the case at hand.
The court found that appeals written by AI can be rejected if they do not meet the formal and content requirements. A large number of the decisions and literature references cited in the appeal either do not exist or are completely different. The club's appeal was allegedly written with the help of artificial intelligence.
The club's actions were criticized by NOFV president Hermann Winkler, who emphasized responsibility for match safety and questioned whether such protests help address the underlying issues. The club was issued a reprimand by the court.
The court's rejection of the appeal was first reported by ntv.de and ara. The decision by the court comes amidst growing concerns over the use of pyrotechnics and other dangerous items in football stadiums.
[1] Source: ntv.de and ara.de
- The Community policy of the North-East German Football Association (NOFV) should address the use of AI-generated appeals in sporting disputes, as they can be rejected if they do not meet the formal and content requirements.
- Despite FC Carl Zeiss Jena's employment of an AI-based appeal as an ironic protest against the burdensome and unproductive nature of sports court proceedings, their appeal was also criticized for its connection to European football leagues, including the reference to Football Sportfreunde Siegen, which the court found to be unrelated to the current case.
