The Bavarian Lions: On the trail of the heroes of the rise of 1991

The TSV 1860 emulates the traces of the heroes of the rise of 1991 with its "local model".

Lion legend Magic Kneißl is certain: "That can release strength." 

Munich– June 12, 1991 is one of those days that no lion who was already there at the time will ever forget.

On this Wednesday evening, TSV 1860 in the Kassel Auestadion ended the nine-year-old time in the third-class Bayern league, which was perceived as a bitter yoke.

All the ridicule, all the malice were forgotten when the Lions won 2-0 at Hessen Kassel through goals from Stefan “Hamperer” Hamberger and Albert Gröber and celebrated promotion to the second division. 

The last theoretical doubts eliminated the 2: 1 four days later against Borussia Neunkirchen in front of 30,000 not only lucky fans in the Grünwalder Stadium.

The pictures of Karsten Wettberg's ecstatic dance of joy followed by the smashing of an umbrella have long been part of the Giesing World Heritage Site.

TSV 1860: Many Bavarian players in the team - parallel to the heroes of the rise in 1991

What Michael Köllner will do if the lions return to the second division * on the 30th anniversary of Giesing's coronation, not even he knows. But what connects the heroes of that time with the class of 2021 , is the absolute identification with the club.

The lions have not been that deeply Bavarian in three decades. 

At that time the team consisted only of natives except for the two Hessians Guido Erhard and Volker Rudel (the Middle Franconia Armin Störzenhofecker generously included).

“The cabin language was Bavarian,” remembers Roland “Magic” Kneißl in an interview with our newspaper.

“In the team bus we watched 'Munich stories' together” (Helmut Dietl's first series, editor's note).

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“The cabin language was Bavarian”: The heroes of the rise in 1991. Only “locals” can be seen in the picture - except for the Hessian Volker Rudel (left).

© Imago Images

TSV 1860: With captain Sascha Mölders, Erik Tallig and Stephan Salger only three regular prizes in the team

Of course, the iPad generation works differently. When it comes to Bavarian too, times have changed. Nevertheless, there are four native speakers in today's Lions: Stefan Lex (Erding), Fabian Greilinger (Eggenfelden), Marius Willsch (Passau) and Lorenz Knöferl (Dachau), plus one who is fluent in two languages, Richy Neudecker from Altötting . But after all, it is primarily a question of understanding. 

And there Marco Hiller (Gröbenzell), Phillipp Steinhart, Dennis Dressel, Quirin Moll and Johann Djayo (all Dachau), the Munich-born Semi Belkahia, Daniel Wein, Merveille Biankadi and Tom Kretzschmar (Munich) have just as little a problem as Niklas Lang ( Starnberg), Maxim Gresler (Bad Tölz) and Marco Mannhart (Trostberg).

The three regular prizes in the first eleven, Sascha Mölders (Essen), Erik Tallig (Chemnitz) and Stephan Salger (Cologne), are well assimilated, according to team circles.

Lion legend Magic Kneißl: "That can release additional strength"

Identification as a secret of advancement?

Kneißl doesn't want to go that far.

“You just don't rise through language and origin,” says the 58-year-old native of Mühldorf.

“But with so many players from the area, the relationship to the club and the people around it is naturally closer than with a legionnaire's troops.

That can release additional forces. "

Will the lions pack it this year?

Kneißl: “I wish it for you and I trust you to do it.

Purely in terms of schedule, it couldn't be better ... "(LUDWIG KRAMMER)

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