As of: February 9, 2024, 6:00 a.m
By: Lea Warmedinger
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The peaceful fans include Franz Humpl (l.) and Andreas Heilmaier (r.).
Here they are with Jochen Ebert and Jokl Schiwietz at the Bayern game in Manchester.
© Andreas Heilmaier
In order to improve the marketing of the Bundesliga, an investor is to get involved in the German Football League (DFL).
The 36 clubs in the first and second Bundesliga agreed to this in December.
The investor is scheduled to be presented this season.
But many active fans don't like that at all.
Erding - They are currently protesting at Bundesliga games by throwing gold coins, chocolate thalers, tennis balls and lemons onto the field, blocking emergency exits or no longer cheering on the players.
Most recently, the catch-up game between Mainz 05 and Union Berlin was interrupted for more than ten minutes on Wednesday evening - in this case it was tennis balls.
We asked Bayern fans in the district what they thought.
“In the past I would have been more involved, but I'm not one of the ultra fans,” says Andreas Heilmaier, head of the football department at SpVgg Altenerding.
The convinced Bayern fan can't fully understand the protests: "The Ultras want success, and if Germany doesn't strengthen its financial position, it will lose its international connection." Money has to come in, so he doesn't understand why fans are fundamentally averse to investors are – “there is no other way”.
Franz Humpl from TuS Oberding, who regularly visits the stadium with Heilmaier, sees it similarly.
“The investor plans are being criticized, that’s okay,” he says.
“But if I want to see expensive stars, I just have to pay.” Humpl doesn’t find the protests very productive.
“I don’t know if the goal is to have a weaker team.” That’s not the only reason why he distances himself from the Ultras and their actions: “It’s not right that you don’t cheer on the team for twelve minutes.” Protest -The mood among the Bayern fans, which the Oberdinger perceives from the north curve, prevails especially at away games, “less so at home games”.
Heilmaier, who rarely misses a Bayern game, also experienced the protests in the stadium.
“In every game of the second half of the season – except against Mönchengladbach – there was dead silence in the stadium for the first twelve minutes.” He doesn’t think that’s fair: “The players can’t do anything about it.”
Chocolate thalers were thrown in Munich, says Heilmaier.
Within a few minutes the game could resume.
However, long interruptions, such as in Berlin for half an hour, pushed the limits.
“That's annoying.
A protest is legitimate, but the game should still be able to proceed somewhat normally.”
“It’s strange,” says Jürgen Baumgartner about the lack of atmosphere in the first minutes of home games.
The chairman of the FC Bayern fan club Holzland finds “some things critical” about the DFL plans – there are advantages and disadvantages.
He himself wouldn't protest, especially throwing objects goes too far.
“This comes from the Ultras, and we are completely normal, peaceful Bayern fans.”
Anton Hietl, chairman of “De Buachroana”, the Bayern fan club from Buch am Buchrain, also thinks little of the actions.
“It is not appropriate for the normal spectator to suffer.” He does not think it is right that the game is interrupted.
You can also express your opinion on banners.
“But anything below the belt is forbidden in the stadium.
Or if the emergency exits are blocked, like the Stuttgart fans did.” You could also make your presence felt in other ways.
According to Hietl, the protests are achieving nothing.
“It was agreed upon, you just have to live with it.” We have to wait and see how everything develops – the investor hasn’t been decided yet.
In any case, the viewer shouldn't have to suffer from it.
Heilmaier also thinks that the conditions are crucial.
“Many fans are rightly afraid that match days will be spread out over the whole week, that there will be several interruptions for more advertising or that the finals will no longer take place in Germany,” says the Altenerdingen football department head.
Investors who decide everything would destroy the Bundesliga.
“Then I’m fully with the ultras and would support the protests.” These things have to be contractually agreed with the investors.
Whether that will happen remains to be seen.
Leah