Sports director Roland Virkus called on all clubs and the league to engage in dialogue with the fans after the 13-minute break in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s home game. “It doesn’t help to blame each other now, you have to talk. We in Gladbach are already in a very good exchange with the active fan scene,” said Virkus after the 0-0 draw against Darmstadt 98.
After half an hour, tennis balls flew from Gladbach’s north curve onto the lawn, and a banner read: “Borussia finally listen to your fans! No to the league investor!” Gladbach voted in the German Football League (DFL) vote to clear the way for an investor.
Virkus did not see the protests directed against Borussia because of the good communication with his own fans. “I believe that there has been solidarity with all other fan groups and that we are not meant at all,” said Virkus and added to the active fans: “Despite all of this, you have to accept that a majority may have a different opinion. That’s how we see it as a club.”
Before the game, the Gladbach fan scene published an open letter to Borussia, which was signed by 169 groups. It said: “We call on the association to advocate a final stop to the entry process or at least a new and non-secret election.”
From a sporting perspective, Virkus criticized that the interruption disrupted the flow of the game. “Of course that disrupts the processes. If you stand outside for a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes, you get cold. The boys want to play football, and that’s why it’s not good at first,” he says: “Nevertheless, we’re in a democracy, and then everyone can express their opinion.”