International Attention: Manchester United Fans Cheer on FV Illertissen in Spectacular Victory

The home game against 1. FC Nürnberg II brought FV Illertissen three points – and international attention. This has to do with unusual fans.

The person responsible for an own goal is the person who is most annoyed about it. And that’s what happened to defender Kevin Frisorger from FV Illertissen when he got the ball on his leg in the third minute of the cup game against Fortuna Düsseldorf on August 13th this year and sent it into his own goal to make it 1-0 for the opponent. But last Saturday that was exactly the reason for a spectacle the likes of which had never been seen in the Vöhlinstadion: 18 fans of the traditional English club Manchester United – including the home club of the recently deceased Sir Bobby Charlton – stood on the terrace in front of the FVI clubhouse and cheered on the home team with chants, rhythmic clapping and singing that can only be heard in Man U’s hometown, Old Trafford.

One can assume that with their visit the English fans contributed their part to the FVI’s 3-1 victory over the U23s of the no less traditional Nuremberg “club”. But how do people in Manchester come up with the idea of ​​visiting the regional league team FV Illertissen? When asked, Mark Whiteley, spokesman for the group, explains: “We watched the games in the first DFB Cup main round on English television and had agreed that we would travel to the team that scored the first goal on that matchday. We all expected Borussia Dortmund or a similar team. But then the own goal came in Illertissen. And so we flew from Manchester to Munich on Saturday morning and from there traveled via Memmingen to Illertissen. And now we are happy to be here; Everything is beautiful, the place, Bavaria, the people and the beer!”

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Illertissen plays internationally – ManU fans at FVI – November 25th, 2023

Video: Wilhelm Schmid

The British football fans were particularly fond of the Bavarian barley juice, as sales in the clubhouse went through the roof when the supporters split into two groups: some stood outside with beer mugs in their hands and watched the game, while others drank inside heated “FVI meeting”. When the colleagues in the clubhouse had finished drinking and got themselves a new beer, they relieved their comrades outside and they were allowed to go and warm up. No wonder that the 18 fans made a much bigger spectacle until the end of the game than the 430 spectators in the stands – which supposedly shouldn’t be a problem anyway. After all, the men are experienced fans whose football home, Old Trafford, hosts exactly 73,000 more spectators. The Man-U colors red and gold are also the Illertisser city colors, but the English were of course equipped in the blue and white of the FVI.

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Immediately after their arrival, they besieged the FVI fan shop and the Kindermann couple as well as Petra Zeller, mother of FVI player Max Zeller, who helps with sales. They had their hands full. Hats and scarves with the FVI emblem were very popular and Zeller commented with a laugh: “It’s a good thing that I learned English from Hermann Schiller.” The former English teacher is now the FVI’s press director and was happy about this praise.

But the guests from Old Trafford, who had actually only come for the FVI game, were not the only international guests: Christoph Kühnemund and a friend had come from Dudelange, the home of the Luxembourg record champions, to watch the FVI play . They were fans of VfL Bochum, said the Luxembourger, and because Bochum played in Heidenheim on Sunday, they had arrived the day before and decided to attend a game not far from the Ostalb. That’s when they discovered the FVI.

Youtuber “Willy” plays for 1. FC Nürnberg II

And as if that wasn’t enough of an unusual spectacle, there was another event that particularly thrilled the youth footballers: Niklas-Wilson Sommer came on as a substitute in the second half for the U23s of 1. FC Nürnberg with the number 37 as Youtuber under the pseudonym “Willy” with more than half a million followers, inspires young footballers worldwide. However, the star “didn’t fail” in the match; on the way to the FCN team bus, the FVI kids had difficulty getting him to take a few selfies. But in any case, the slogan that had thrilled football audiences around ten years ago came true on this Saturday afternoon: “Illertissen plays internationally!”

2023-11-28 12:40:54
#fans #Manchester #suddenly #cheering #Illertissen