There is a lot of sporting explosive in Hessenderby this Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky). Darmstadt 98 urgently needs a sense of success in the fight against relegation in order to regain faith in their own strength after a series of ten games without a win. Frankfurter Eintracht wants to continue the upward trend at the bottom of the table at the turn of the year with victories over Borussia Mönchengladbach and at RB Leipzig, and further improve the prospects for the next campaign in Europe.
However, the situation between the ultra associations of the Hessian neighbors is even more explosive. The extent of the hostility of the organized hardcore fans is diametrically opposed to the relationship between the club management, which is characterized by great respect and collegial solidarity. The clubs have followed the sustainable work and successful development of their neighbors in recent years with a lot of goodwill – although Eintracht had never sunk lower than the second division, and Darmstadt had made it to the regional league.
In the minds of the vast majority of ultras, concepts such as appreciation and recognition for the achievements of others hardly play a role. It’s all about your own group, its importance and position. The Eintracht Ultras felt that Mainz 05’s first promotion to the Bundesliga in 2004 was like an attack on their territory. They received a correspondingly rough reception from Mainz’s organized fan scene in the first football league. In recent years the relationship has calmed down because the Rheinhessen people have increasingly avoided escalations.
The same cannot be said about the relationship between Eintracht and “Lilien” ultras. Since the rise of the SVD in the summer of 2015, the two groups have been fighting turf wars against each other, which originated with the people of Frankfurt and are still accepted by the people of Darmstadt to this day. The feud ranges from bad taste (stylized Darmstadt fan with a decapitated head), to aggression (burning of opposing flags and fan paraphernalia), to shooting with firecrackers and tracer ammunition, to violent excesses such as the attack on a Darmstadt fan bar by Frankfurters and an arranged mass brawl near the Highway.
There will probably be more incidents surrounding the upcoming Bundesliga match at Böllenfalltor. The Eintracht Ultras have already set the tone with banners in their block during the game against Mönchengladbach and the one in Leipzig: “Anti Lilien Gang”. A graphic on social media suggests the journey and the dress code for the away game in Darmstadt: “Everyone take the train to Darmstadt! Black jackets and a black and white bar scarf.” The appearance should be powerful.
In Darmstadt, as with all other away games, Eintracht receives a quota of ten percent of the stadium capacity for the guest block – in Darmstadt that is around 1,800 tickets, distribution is the responsibility of the club, which prefers the so-called all-rounders who attend every away game. However, the image in the Frankfurt guest block is usually dominated by the ultras, the smaller the stadium, the more striking. Acceptance of violence among ultras has increased in recent months, but things remain comparatively quiet in the arenas. The aggression is mainly carried out in public spaces.
However, the fans for whom their club does not mean life or death are increasingly perceiving an atmosphere that spoils their enjoyment of football. Especially when Frankfurt and Darmstadt ultras meet. There is good agreement among the normal South Hesse supporters.
Jan Ehrhardt Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 14 Ralf Weitbrecht Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1
Like the club officials, they can not only live well with their neighbors’ successes, but can also enjoy them. Perhaps the time has come for this silent majority to make their presence felt and express their displeasure at how football is being poisoned by the obscure thoughts of a minority.
