Graz had waited fifteen years to experience a derby again, until last year in the Austrian Cup. An enormous spectacle, as Simone Meloni always told us at the time Sport Peopleand as luck would have it, or rather the draw, this year the national cup once again featured the Graz derby.
If on the one hand the prospect of experiencing such an exciting and hot match again could excite me, on the other hand I was aware that a repetition of what had already been experienced could be difficult, also because in the meantime the tension fueled by the long wait for the first meeting was obviously tempered by the very recent precedent. Furthermore, in the last weeks before the match, dark clouds metaphorically gathered in the sky of the Austrian curves: Austria Salzburg, for example, received a fine of 34,000 euros due to the fireworks display in the cup derby against fellow citizens RB ; heavy fine also received by Rapid Vienna for the same pyrotechnic nature of the choreography performed by its fans in the match against LASK during the interval (!), subtly attributing a subsequent VAR malfunction to this distant event. What is especially worrying is the subsequent escalation on the part of the Austrian League which, in case the fans repeated the pyrotechnics, announced that they wanted to deduct championship points from their team.
Despite all this, the wait for another exciting derby on and off the pitch still prevailed, which I was able to clearly appreciate when I went to the meeting point of the Sturm fans, in the old “Gruabn” stadium, after checked into the hotel. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the team warm up but much more than small consolation was following the impressive procession that started from the stadium and was accompanied by tons of fireworks.
Arrived at the stadium Liebenau and having noisily merged into its north curve, I separate from it, passing the police barrier towards the other side of the stadium, where the GAK fans (who this time for various reasons did not take part in a procession) are waiting for the arrival of the bus of their players. When he appears, the entire street disappears in fire and red smoke for several minutes. There is nothing to suggest that today’s derby could be any less passionate than last year…
When, after having collected the accreditation and a brief greeting to some acquaintances, I enter the press gallery, I see that in the opposite gallery there is some clash. In the meantime, preparations are underway on both sides for the choreography, which will color both corners at the start of the game. The home fans, traditionally located in the corner, present a very special choreography summed up in its meaning by the banners composing the phrase “Keepers of the faith” to which the music is also adapted. The guests of Sturm Graz, on the other hand, opted for a more traditional choreography with flags forming black and white vertical bands, used intensely even in the first minutes of the game. After which a crazy show begins with loud chants, flags waved continuously and above all lots of pyrotechnics, first of all from the GAK side.
The outcome of the match was unexpected, with the favored black and whites initially taking the lead, but with the less popular red and whites capable of turning the game around before half-time. The celebration for the goal with which GAK took the lead was very beautiful, truly breathtaking. Even after the break the match remains exciting and the atmosphere is consequently crackling. In the Sturm curve in this second juncture more torches are lit, on both sides the enemy’s material is also set on fire.
Less excitement than last year’s first derby after many years? Absolutely not! Certainly bitter for GAK, a second division club whose only mistake in the end led to victory for the previous day’s favorites (currently at the top of the league table). Bundesliga) and therefore to their passage to the next round. The fact that both corners, even the defeat of GAK, celebrate their respective players, says a lot about the emotions that hover in the stadium Liebenau this evening…
Satisfied, I leave the stadium to take the tram back to the hotel. Various police closures, as I discovered later due to further skirmishes between Sturm and GAK fans, forced me to travel the last stretch by taxi, because in the meantime there was no longer any public transport…
However, the press reports in the following days are not so much linked to the exciting match or the fantastic atmosphere that reigned in the stadium, but rather to these riots, especially those before the match inside the stadium (but also those after the match in the city), in which the news also reported some injuries. Since I did not have direct knowledge of these events, I cannot make a judgment, but only look at the whole thing from the outside. Of course, in my opinion it is good for a curve to act compact and confident in every situation, a good level of authority is also important to take responsibility before public opinion for actions of any kind, especially in the case of controversial events . At the same time critical reflection within the curve is important if an action does not go as desired. Otherwise it is to be expected that the authorities and associations will look for more and more ways to undermine the unity of the curves, also trying to exploit the negative aspects of the ultras in the eyes of public opinion. The threats from the police and politicians after the match and beyond, and also the first threats from the clubs to organized fans (for example, Sturm Graz has already announced that it will not ask for tickets for the away section in the next derby that should be played in home of the GAK) indicate that times are slowly becoming more difficult in Austria too. Whether it’s just a flash in the pan or whether the next Graz derby (which with the almost certain promotion of GAK will probably take place next season) will be robbed of its emotions by the authorities, remains to be seen…
Jürgen De Meester
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2023-11-20 11:30:00
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