Third division soccer team Rot-Weiss Essen clinched their first win on Friday evening. But after the final whistle the mood was clouded. A comment.
Over 14 years the fans of Red and white food waiting for this moment – a victory in professional football.
The knot burst on Friday evening and the Essen team rewarded themselves in the home game against Erzgebirge Aue for a passionate and strong-willed performance with a not undeserved 2:1 success. Party mood on Hafenstrasse? think!
During the game the atmosphere was exceptionally good and the fans of RWE pushed their team forward unconditionally. Players repaid the vocal support with a dedicated performance. But what followed next, no one would have expected. Instead of being extensively celebrated by their own supporters, the team set off just a few minutes after the final whistle back to the catacombs.
There was no “wave” and no joint celebrations after the all-important first three of the season, just a small lap of honour. The reason: A kind of “protest action” after the players last week – on the way back from Bayreuth – witnessed violent clashes among their own fans.
Apparently, this reaction went horribly wrong and the team reaped a loud whistling concert. “We are Essenes and you are not,” chanted some RWE-Fans on the west curve towards the team. Of course that was a completely exaggerated reaction after the team had fought for victory for Rot-Weiss Essen for 93 minutes. But many other spectators could hardly believe it and left the stadium upset. The problem: the lack of communication. Many RWE fans didn’t know why the team couldn’t celebrate as usual.
Afterwards, the discussion was less about the first win of the season and more about the conflict between the team and the fans. The Essen-based company has thus opened up an unnecessary construction site.
That was definitely the wrong place and time – and above all it came unexpectedly for a large part of the RWE fans who had nothing to do with said incident. They just wanted to party with the protagonists on the lawn, but in the end the mood that had been so good before was noticeably dampened. That the players condemn acts of violence within their own fan scene is perfectly normal and correct. Nevertheless, as a club, you should have found another way of communicating with your own spectators, preferably in the run-up to the game. An announcement of the “protest action” would probably have provided for far more understanding. Example: an anti-violence banner that the team could have raised after the final whistle or before kick-off.
The fans are the bargaining chip of Rot-Weiss Essen
Season tickets – and membership records before the season, almost full stadiums against Elversberg, Cologne and Aue and over 5000 guest fans at the derbies in Duisburg and Dortmund – these are not numbers of an ordinary third division promoted. Even after the false start with six winless games in a row, there were never whistles, but always encouraging words for the league newcomer. Even on the more than 500-kilometer journey to Bayreuth, the Essen crowd was accompanied by more than 1,000 spectators. One thing is clear: the fans are the bargaining chip of Rot-Weiss Essen – in good times and in bad. Therefore, the club should try to clarify this situation as soon as possible so that the sporting aspect is in the foreground again before the away game in Osnabrück.
It was positive that the team made their way back to the fans after about ten minutes. There was a long, intensive exchange in front of the west curve. Crowd favorite Felix Herzenbruch spoke via megaphone to the mostly angry spectators. Occasionally, the players also earned applause. This open communication was the first step in the right direction. Because it only works together Red and white food. All parties should – as soon as possible (!) – internalize this again.
