Seville (dpa) – In the pubs and narrow streets of downtown Seville, the fans sang their club anthems loudly – and there was also high spirits at the fan festivals in the large squares of the Andalusian metropolis in the summer heat.
Tens of thousands of supporters of Eintracht Frankfurt and Glasgow Rangers mostly peacefully got in the mood for the Europa League final in the evening (9 p.m. / RTL). “I’ve been here for 50 years, but I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Bundesliga record player Karl-Heinz Körbel a few hours before kick-off.
The fans of the Scottish runners-up dominated the street scene in the final venue in their typical Rangers blue. Eintracht President Peter Fischer therefore called on the supporters of the Bundesliga soccer club to make a last joint effort in the ongoing competition at the fan festival on the Prado de San Sebastian: “Show the Bravehearts what we Frankfurters can do. The team needs your energy.”
Then the 66-year-old brought the fans greetings from the players: “I’ll tell you from the team: thank you, thank you, thank you for being here.” He was an “incredibly proud president because you exist and you enchant football”.
Remembering Eintracht legends
On the historic football day for Hessen, Fischer remembered the deceased club legends Jürgen Grabowski and Bernd Nickel. “Of course we’re thinking today of the two who celebrated great successes with Eintracht. We will never forget them,” he called out to the thousands of Eintracht supporters. Like Grabowski and Nickel, Körbel was there in 1980 when Eintracht won their only international title to date, the UEFA Cup. “It’s time for new heroes,” said Körbel.