20,000 euros – the punishment that red -white food has to pay for the sexist chants of his fans is so high. Nevertheless, the club still does not see sexism as an independent problem.
Verbal, sexualized violence and sexist insults towards the referee Fabienne Michel – RWE received a sensitive punishment from the DFB for these failures from the Essen fan scene at the away game in Verl last week. The association has to pay 20,000 euros, and red-white food can use up to 6,500 euros for preventive measures against discrimination. An incentive to deal with the problem and your own fan scene.
RWE published a campaign a day before the DFB sports court’s judgment: Instead of with a jerseys, the team runs against MSV Duisburg in the final of the Lower Rhine Cup next Saturday (24.05.25) with the slogan “Food is colorful” on. According to the club’s press spokesman, this is a result of the processing of the incident within the association.
The campaign is spread with print ads and posters in the entire Essen cityscape. Also in Social media posts the club has announced the campaign. The AWO fan project Essen expressly welcomes the campaign, but also writes at the request of the sports show: “Unfortunately we were not involved in the ‘Essen’ campaign.”
However, not all Essen fans are thrilled. Among the posts, it is partly high, but the club itself does not appear in the comments to defend the campaign. Instead, the CEO Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer and Board of Directors Alexander Rang in the press conference to the campaign, RWE was of course still red and white. And while the word “colorful” can be seen on posters and in ads in rainbow colors, it is white on the jersey.
Food is colorful. Or is it red-white? Essen Mayor Thomas Kufen at the PK of Rot-Weiss Essen
Idea for a Awareness concept Since 2023
In dealing with sexism and gender -related discrimination in the stadium, Essen has so far laid valuable opportunities. After researching the sports show, there was the first time in July 2023 to create an Avarness concept at RWE. For this purpose, the fan representative at the time had contacted the discrimination in Football in NRW (Medif), among other things. A year later there was a meeting at RWE, in which, among other things, the Medif, the network against sexism and sexualized violence in football, which were involved AWO fan project and club representatives.
The aim was the concrete development and implementation of an awareness concept at RWE. According to Medif, the establishment of an awareness concept in the first step is to establish an internal basic attitude. “This means that the association (based on the association statute) is actively and affected by discriminatory and attacking behavior”, So project manager Elena Müller. This also included sensitization, training courses and clear positioning internally and outside, which not only stays with words.
“Safe harbor” in the drawer
Rot-Weiss Essen can be informed by his press spokesman: “Operating our fan work responsibly is one of our absolutely prioritized topics. “ The Awareness project should be established in Essen under the title “Safe Hafen”. Rooms are already fully furnished. “Due to the high importance, the Avarness project is located directly at our board level”so RWE. Training for all employees involved and the entire security staff are also planned: “The aim is to offer every person who does not feel safe in our stadium to offer a safe contact point on the ‘Safe Hafen’ project.”
There is also close cooperation with the Medif. However, the project management was finally officially contacted by RWE in December 2024 by the fan representative at the time. Since then there has been only an informal conversation between RWE board member Alexander Rang and a Medif representative, which was initially without a concrete result.
The problem: Since December 2024, the association has been without a full -time fan representative. The position has been on the RWE- since the beginning of the yearWebsite advertised. Finding a successor does not seem so easy. And so RWE does not call a specific schedule on request until when the project “Safe Hafen” should be implemented, despite the high prioritization. The reason for this is the restructuring in the field of fan work, it is said.
Other incidents that the Medif have recently reported anonymously show how important it would be to tackle the problems promptly. In this way, RWE fans are said to have again voted chants at the games against Rostock and Cottbus who are not only sexist, but also contain verbalized sexual violence. They were directed against the mothers of the opposing fans: “We f *** your mothers in the A ***”.
Self -organization In the fan scene
For parts of the Essen fan scene, the wait is not an option that the club starts an awareness concept. Also because they are affected themselves. Already at the beginning of April, shortly after the incidents against referee Fabienne Michel, the fan alliance “Red-Weisse Solidarity” was founded. Your goal: a solidarity, non-discriminatory fan culture, for example with the help of educational and educational work on social networks, information events or Workshops.
“We have had negative experiences in the stadium and at away games over the past few years – especially through discriminatory chants and a climate that has increasingly took the joy of football to us and others”write the initiators who want to remain anonymous. “In order to overcome our feeling of powerlessness, we have come together to no longer stand by and become active with like-minded RWE fans.”
It is significant that the “Red-Weisse Solidarity” initiative organizes itself outside of the structures offered by the association. You have been watching for years “The fact that the club is behind its possibilities to clearly position itself against discrimination”it says at the request of the sports show.
The fact that nobody wants to appear from the alliance by name speaks for themselves. “The women in our group have all experienced sexist comments up to sexual harassment”it says on request. “Especially away games in which the usual stadium environment is left were often unsafe for us: racist, anti -Semitic, homophobic and sexist statements often remain uncomfortable and are simply accepted. Insmerization and threats of violence are not uncommon.”
RWE refers to educational work with students
RWE does not respond that sexism in the Essen fan scene is a separate problem. “It is important to us that we do not separate important subject areas of discrimination such as racism or sexism”lets the club know. And points out that the fans of RWE speak very well when they experience racism in the stadium.
Statistics show that sexism and gender-specific violence in football are their own topic, not only eating red-white. In the 2nd annual report of Medif 2023/24, sexism is by far the most frequently reported form of discrimination. It would also be important to address this separately in the fan thesis with regard to violence prevention.
In this context, RWE repeatedly puts the work in the learning location on Hafenstraße in the foreground: “Last year we successfully organized 27 workshops on the subject of anti -discrimination with around 500 students.” Any important social engagement that is not aimed at fans, but at the offspring.
Symbolic action instead of problems
There would be space for fan thesis in the club fan dialogues prescribed by the DFB, which are to be carried out at least three times a year. The last club fan dialogue in Essen so far took place on May 6, 2025. According to confirmed statements by present, the sexist catch chants were not discussed in this gereness.
The actual fan work is currently being done on a voluntary basis. Fans who are disappointed by the club: “We regret that fans’ commitment remains unused instead of looking for solutions together. Our initiative has so far been ignored”writes the Founding alliance “Red-Weisse Solidarity”. “We do not want to work against each other, but in dialogue.” An offer that the association could take advantage of to initiate sustainable changes. Rot-Weiss Essen explains that you know the fan initiative and follow what it publishes on the social channels. So far there would be no contact.