Keep off the grass
The week's news at a glance.
Berlin
The Berlin city council has outlawed soccer playing on a field in front of the Reichstag building, outraging most of the city as well as the federal parliament. Pickup soccer games have been a fixture on the lawn since the end of World War II, and now that the Bundestag has moved back into the Reichstag, lawmakers are often seen kicking a ball around. The city council, though, declared the games verboten because they muss up the grass. “I can’t understand why they are trying to prevent hobby soccer players from using such a beautiful setting,” said Klaus Riegert, a Bundestag member and frequent player who is fighting the ban. “It’s madness.” Players have appealed to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a soccer devotee whose office overlooks the field, to overrule the council.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Sudoku medium: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff