At the weekend, more tennis balls than ever flew into football stadiums. In the game between Hertha BSC and HSV, the actions of the active fan scene against a DFL investor almost caused the game to be abandoned. Are the protests going too far? Two opinions:
Nele Hüpper: Protest has to hurt
Of course the fan protest is annoying. 32 minutes of interruption in Berlin on Saturday, 9 minutes in Hanover on Sunday – players, referees and even the commentators could certainly imagine better things. And there are certainly enough fans who are annoyed by a game without flow.
It is precisely these fans who also enjoy the choreographies and atmosphere in the stadium – and that all comes from an active fan scene. From the active fan scene, which has positioned itself against investor involvement across almost all club boundaries, feels not heard and feels great anger. On those responsible, on the business of football, on those who, in their eyes, are destroying their sport.
Week after week, the active fan scene creates a great atmosphere in the stadium. The DFL is advertising with exactly this mood and is looking for investors. Football fans belong to the stadium and are cultural assets. And one of the league’s selling points. That’s why this protest from the fans has to hurt. Otherwise it doesn’t work.
Mats Nickelsen: Protest is exaggerated
Yes, protest has to work. But interrupting a game several times and bringing it to the brink of abandonment is excessive. And also a show of force.
The signal from the tennis ball throwers: We can cancel a game, nothing will happen without us.
The ultra scene in Germany is heterogeneous. The fan scene doesn’t exist. In addition to content-related topics, some are also concerned with exploring and exceeding boundaries – as with pyrotechnics.
The majority of stadium goers are not part of the organized fan scenes. Many stadium-goers are willing to consume the Bundesliga product uncritically, as a balance to everyday life – that’s allowed.
These fans are punished by interruptions, as are their own players. There have been no game cancellations yet. Harming your own team, forcing games to be abandoned, points deducted and fines would almost certainly not help to win supporters over to the criticism.
This topic in the program:
Sports current | 02/05/2024 | 1:17 p.m
