He played for the city rivals
Freiburg star appeased: cheering “wasn’t against HSV at all”
May 11, 2026 – 7:36 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Igor Matanović scores for Freiburg in Hamburg and punches a corner flag with the HSV logo while celebrating – the home fans are outraged. But the striker explains the action afterwards.
Matanović tried to calm things down after the game. “It wasn’t against HSV at all, that’s very important to me to mention,” said the double goalscorer. “I respect every club and I would never disrespect a flag or a club.” The gesture was a joke between three or four teammates: “It’s a finishing move in a Playstation game.”
Matanović was born in Hamburg and played for city rivals FC St. Pauli before moving to Freiburg. The 1.95 meter tall attacker was trained with the “Kiezkickern” for ten years before moving to Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and, in the summer of 2025, Freiburg. This season, Matanović has 14 goals in 48 competitive games.
