The German Football League (DFL) had its appeal against having to contribute to policing costs around high risk matches rejected at Germany's highest court, the First Senate in Karlsruhe said on Tuesday.

BERLIN (Reuters) -German soccer clubs must pay their share of increased policing costs during high-risk matches, the country's federal Constitutional Court said on Tuesday, ending a more than decade-long dispute over who should shoulder the additional financial burden of such games.

Germany's highest court has drawn a line under a dispute between the city-state of Bremen and the German Football League (DFL), which operates the Bundesliga. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that it is lawful for football clubs to be required to contribute to policing costs for "high-risk" matches.