Sports Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) was happy about the promotion “with all my heart”. The entire Palatinate and the great fans more than deserved this successful first stage of the ascent marathon. “Betzenberg, who sold out several times in the 3rd division, belong back in the upper house of German football,” he emphasized.
Even ex-coach Marco Antwerpen, who was briefly on leave from the relegation games and replaced by Dirk Schuster, paid tribute to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, albeit not entirely without nostalgia. “The team, the whole club, did a great job. I’m proud of the boys,” he told TV channel Sport1, but also admitted: “Of course it wasn’t easy for me emotionally to follow the relegation games.”
Game interrupted after second FCK goal
The announcement by the German Football Association that proceedings would be initiated against both clubs because of the incidents during the relegation game cast a shadow over the celebration. This was announced by the DFB on dpa request. After the second FCK goal in added time, the game was interrupted for several minutes because flares and firecrackers were thrown onto the pitch from the Dresden fan block. Dynamo club flags were also burned.
The Palatinate promotion heroes had already celebrated on the way back from Dresden and “let the cow fly” on the bus, as announced by trainer and Antwerp successor Dirk Schuster.
Shortly after the final whistle, the Red Devils ran to their fans, jumped and danced with their supporters and downed the first beer on the pitch at the corner flag while the fans yelled: “Lautern is the hottest club in the world!”
Thanks also to the ex-coach
And midfield player Mike Wunderlich made it clear where the club wants to go: “The club doesn’t belong in the 3rd division and also not in the 2nd division. We’ve at least taken the first step,” said the veteran and thanked him shortly before Antwerp, who was released from relegation: “The coach did a great job, and so did the new coach.”
For the Palatinate, a four-year period of suffering ended in third division sadness. Defender Kevin Kraus announced in exuberance: “We’ll party until we lose our mother tongue.” On the local Betzenberg, 7,500 fans cheered the ascent at the public viewing. “The team always believed in their chance,” said Schuster and also thanked Antwerp: “Today we completed what he had prepared.”