Sport joy instead of protest
“Game, set and victory!” – how the fan scene celebrates the collapse of the investor deal
Status: 24.02.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
All balls have been played: The fan protests of the previous weeks did not materialize after the DFL withdrew
Source: dpa/Bernd Thissen
At the Saturday Bundesliga games, the fan scenes once again referred to the DFL’s stopped investor deal. There were no protests like in previous weeks. However, Union Berlin supporters warned the bosses.
On Saturday, fans in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga expressed their joy over the collapse of the German Football League’s investor deal with banners and posters. “Game, set and victory!” said the fans of 1. FC Union Berlin at the Bundesliga home game against Heidenheim on a banner that also showed a tennis ball and a football. Before the duel with Hertha BSC, the supporters of second division team Eintracht Braunschweig headlined: “Sport and its values are increasingly being lost due to greed, growth mania and investors.”
On the last few match days, the throwing of tennis balls in German stadiums repeatedly led to long interruptions in the game. The yellow felt ball became a symbol of the vehement protest against a possible investor entry into the DFL. The league association announced on Wednesday that it would no longer continue negotiations to conclude a billion-dollar deal. She had previously ended discussions with the last remaining investor CVC.
also read
Fans warn the DFL
On another banner, the Union fans warned against renewed negotiations with an investor: “But the next time we serve, we will be ready!” The fan scene in Bremen also reacted to the stopped search for investors: “One battle has been won – the next ones will come.” or “No to investors,” the Werder fans said on banners during the break in the Bundesliga game against Darmstadt.
also read
Other fan concerns were also expressed, including “Pro Saturday 1530”, “50+1 non-negotiable” and “Abolish stadium bans”. In doing so, the Werder supporters supported the classic Bundesliga kick-off time on Saturday as well as the 50+1 rule, which essentially states that an investor is not allowed to take the majority of votes in a football club. The fans of second division team Hertha BSC also referred to this. “Football lives through its fans. 50+1 untouchable,” they posted.
