A city in complete state of emergency – and 1. FC Köln in the middle. So the “goats” celebrate Rosenmontag.
Alarm in the 2nd Bundesliga, Alaaf on Rosenmontag: The 1. FC Köln did not miss the carnival mood from the latest series of victory with just one point from three games and the crash to fifth place. Instead, coach Gerhard Struber and his professionals dwelled deeply into the jacket at the “Zoch”.
The players Learst Pacarada, Dominique Heintz and Luca Waldschmidt, like license area director Thomas Kessler Vice President Carsten Wettich, athletics coach Tillmann Bockhorst, head coach Britta Carlson and the players Ada Achcinska and Laura Donhauser were among the chosen ones for the FC bus. This started to move with number 72 as one of the last train cars around 1:40 p.m. in order to cope with the 7.5 km route past hundreds of thousands of Jecken.
“Of course it would be more fun if we had won at the weekend,” said manager Kessler before the starting shot, “but it is part of the city’s culture”. Whether as the leader or fifth in the table: “Everyone deserves to celebrate carnival,” said Kessler and noticed with a smile: “As a registered carnival club, we also have a responsibility.”
Gerhard Struber lived up to this responsibility at the FC grandstand on Heumarkt. The Austrian voluntarily waived his place on the train in order to be able to admire all the cars as a spectator. At Heumarkt, the Austrian celebrated, among other things, together with the managing directors Christian Keller and Philipp Türoff, President Werner Wolf, Vice Eckhard Sauren as well as many current players and ex-captain Jonas Hector.
“I do not know which word it would describe, but it is really an emotional explosion that will take place here,” said Struber enthusiastically about his first Rose Monday in Cologne: “In this total extreme, I don’t know that. We celebrate the carnival in Austria too, but this is carnival. Everyone is really fun with it.” I can enjoy it. “
Sports boss Keller spoke of a “fascinating occasion”, who overlaid the sporty doldrum after the 0: 1 in Karlsruhe: “Our playful mood is not good, we have remained under our possibilities-clearly. But it is also important to be the ability to check off things. Today is a free day for the players and for the coaching team, everyone should take part here,” the FC boss should participate.
Tuesday morning, for Struber and his professionals, it is important to transport the carnival euphoria on the lawn. 10.30 a.m. the preparation for the away game at SSV Ulm (Saturday, 1 p.m.) begins at the Geißbockheim. The FC has to find quickly on track so that there is another reason for large celebrations in May – namely the promotion.