When the Ascension Heroes entered the stage on Stiftsplatz in front of 10,000 enthusiastic fans, Jean Zimmer hid behind sunglasses. “There are very, very many small eyes,” said the captain of 1. FC Kaiserslautern after the party marathon for the second division return on SWR, “because the night was not there.”
The players had already “let the cow fly” on the bus, and the fans set off a spectacular fireworks display during the train journey home. After years of sadness and great financial difficulties, pride has returned to the traditional club from the Palatinate.
“The club went through a lot of shit,” said midfielder Hikmet Ciftci after the 2-0 (0-0) win in the relegation second leg at Dynamo Dresden: “It should be a gift for the club, for the fans.” In the fourth attempt they were “finally out of the 3rd league”, as captain Jean Zimmer rejoiced.
“What’s going on here is awesome”
After three defeats in the league final, very few had expected that. But new coach Dirk Schuster breathed new life into the Red Devils. He drummed into his dejected players “that relegation is not a punishment, but an opportunity,” reported the coach, who in his most successful time had already led Darmstadt 98 from third division to the Bundesliga.
Out of respect for the opponent and probably also out of concern about an escalation of the already heated atmosphere in the Dresden Arena, he urged his players to “celebrate a little more cautiously in the stadium”, revealed Schuster, “and only let the cow fly in the bus”. . The pros did the same, and the party marathon continued in Kaiserslautern on Wednesday. “What’s going on here is awesome,” Zimmer said.
“Today and tomorrow it’s time to blow your head first”
The exuberant atmosphere at the public viewing in the Fritz-Walter-Stadion with 7500 fans also showed how euphoric the environment of the four-time champion is. There’s no question: The club “craves for success,” as Schuster found out after just two weeks in office. Manager Thomas Hengen, who personally took a big risk with the late change of coach from Marco Antwerp to Schuster, did not want to reveal anything about personnel planning for the second division season: “Today and tomorrow it’s time to blow your head.”
Since the conclusion of the insolvency proceedings in December 2020, FCK has been officially debt-free, and the financial plus in the double-digit million range through the promotion has helped enormously. The loss-making business in the 3rd league has come to an end thanks to the much higher media funds, and the value of the club should increase massively. With the involvement of several investors, he might even be able to advance into new spheres.
With its radiance and the myth of Betzenberg, FCK is also an enrichment for the second division. Now the club just has to learn calmness and continuity. “The 15 months I’ve been at FCK,” said Hengen, “feel like 15 years.”