Philip Waechter: Eintracht Frankfurt Fan Art & Interview

Herr Waechter, woran denken Sie, wenn Sie zeichnen?

Thematically about what I’m doing at the moment. When I draw a picture book, I think about the scene, the story, the characters, what they should look like and how the picture should be designed. With my daily cards I think about my situation But sometimes I draw without thinking about it, but it’s less project-related and more like a doodle, like when I write a shopping list and label it.

Do you already have a motif in mind, or does it emerge during the drawing process?

There is a repertoire that I have drawn so many times, i.e. figures in different situations and movements. I can then implement it without having to think too much about it or make a preliminary drawing. Most of the time it succeeds.

How well do you manage to draw certain characters? In the preliminary interview you mentioned that you were recently asked to draw Jay-Jay Okocha holding a child in his arms.

The character I’m drawing is not recognizable as Jay-Jay Okocha. This requires some kind of hint again. In this case mentioned, it was a stylized, quickly thrown drawing that I’ll just say is Jay-Jay Okocha. If anyone wants an actual portrait of Okocha, I would probably turn that down because it’s not what I’m good at. My work is not about true-to-life reproduction. I don’t really enjoy that either. When I don’t know a person, I find it particularly difficult to judge whether I have met them.

What else would you cancel?

I was never interested in political cartoons. World politics is too far away, I draw more from my personal everyday life and experiences. The beauty in small things.

I would say eight percent.

But that is a very precise statement.

It could also be twelve. It fluctuates sometimes. Okay, let’s say 15 percent.

Does it benefit you to be a fan of what you draw?

Being a fan or having a passion for the club, for the players in question, is a lot of fun, especially when it is linked to a personal experience. If I was in the stadium, experienced something there and then drew it, it was completely different than if someone said to me: Draw something from Hannover 96, Lars Stindl, when he played there. I would try that, but it wouldn’t really come out of me.

Is drawing emotional for you, do you recap as you go?

Yes definitely. If I have followed a game and made a drawing about it, it still has an impact. I’m happy or annoyed or ask myself: Why didn’t he put it in, why didn’t he pass the ball over there, the teammate was free. It still has an effect.

Football is a fast-moving business. Can a drawing capture that?

Once a motif is drawn, it has something lasting. And when you say “fast-paced”: I can’t remember all the goals I saw, but when I draw them I can always recall them. And then I remember the situation, remember the goal, the game, my mood, who I was with. This is a bridge into my memories that I can recall through a drawing.

Do you have an example of this?

One game that I particularly remember was against Hoffenheim. It wasn’t a particularly important Bundesliga game. Eintracht is behind, but turns the game around when Gonçalo Paciência heads the score to 3-2 in the 96th minute. I drew that. There is so much associated with the game: I was there with my son, and his friends were there too. After the game we left the stadium where we met English people singing “We love you Frankfurt”. And if I hadn’t drawn that, it wouldn’t be as present to me anymore.

Is this the case with all your drawings?

Not always as detailed as just described, but when I look at them, the memory or the moment comes back. Once I draw it, it’s captured.

Do you remember your most memorable fan experience?

There are some. When Eintracht won the UEFA Cup in 1980, we as a family had tickets to the final. But since there was a school trip coming up at the same time, I had to decide and said: I’m going on a school trip. On the school trip I sat in bed listening to the radio and regretted not being at the stadium.

How old were you then?

Was the decision difficult for you?

It was completely clear that the school trip was going ahead. Another thing was 1992, the lost championship. I was in the stadium against Werder Bremen when a win would have made us champions. Eintracht played 2:2. After that we just had to win against relegated Hansa Rostock, I watched the game with friends in the pub. We lost and it was clear to us: this chance would never come again. A nicer, more unforgettable memory is the first visit to the stadium with my son, who was six years old at the time. I was just talking about it. I didn’t know: Is this fun for him? Does he want to go home after ten minutes?

We took the tram to the stadium and the whole carriage screamed: “Everything but Frankfurt sucks.” And I thought to myself: My son is having a complete crisis. But he was able to enjoy the game that followed and has been going there ever since, including with me.

Do you see yourself as an Eintracht Frankfurt chronicler?

No. When I draw the daily cards, Eintracht makes up a fraction, that 15 percent. It’s about my life and my everyday life, my drawn diary, and because I’ve been doing this for many years, Eintracht appears at least enough often that you can fill a book with it. But that’s a minor aspect, other things are more important and take up much more space.

Do you have a favorite Eintracht player?

There are many who have changed over the decades. As a little boy, I always thought Bernd Nickel was great because he had this amazing shot. And he could convert the corners straight away. When I played with my brother, he always said he was Bernd Hölzenbein. I wanted to be someone else, that was Bernd Nickel. Later I thought Bruno Pezzey was great, and Tony Yeboah was also incredible. If I had to choose one, it would probably be Yeboah.

Have you ever drawn him?

When I started with day tickets in 2000, he no longer played for Eintracht. And I didn’t draw him beyond that either.

If you could draw your dream footballer, what would he look like?

An offensive player who plays behind the tips and can do everything. So he has a good shot and can score goals from 35 meters, but also dribbles and serves the strikers. Already a wizard.

Then maybe someone like Okocha?

Yes, that’s very close. I would like to have an Okocha like that again. And then I would like to stay at Eintracht for a little longer, as he moved relatively early. Although he was there for a really long time by today’s standards.

It sounds like you’re a football romantic.

I look at football with sadness. Mainly because I have a problem with the fact that Eintracht, but also all other teams, are completely turned inside out every year, the best players are sold and new ones are added. If you have just grown fond of a player, you know that he will soon be gone again. But I still manage to build identification every year. But I don’t think that’s a good thing.

Were you afraid of alienation?

There were moments when I thought that I was no longer interested in football, no longer interested in Eintracht, that everything was annoying me. But then I realized that this enthusiasm is so deep within me that I am happy about victories and disappointed when I lose. One thing is the head, but there is also the emotionality of being a fan that goes beyond that.

How do you identify with Eintracht?

In recent years, Eintracht has been a club that has taken a stance against racism, against anti-Semitism and against homophobia. I think that’s important. This was represented by people like Peter Fischer. But I also notice: Eintracht is totally anchored in the city. People identify with this club, Eintracht and Frankfurt belong together. I think that a club can be very important for a city, as a unifying element.

If you could outline an optimal season for Eintracht Frankfurt, what would it look like?

At first it would have looked like Elye Wahi would have scored his goals instead of being loaned out. I had the feeling that he was very unlucky. I felt sorry for him and it has been bothering me in recent games. I thought: Hopefully he comes on and scores a goal. Apart from that, I hope that Eintracht qualifies for the European Cup, it doesn’t have to be the Champions League. A fifth place and the Europa League would also be wonderful. Otherwise I’m hoping for a few nice games with lots of goals. But also that the mood remains good within the club, within the fans; that we agree on what we stand for and treat each other with respect.

And what does the upcoming World Cup make you feel?

I find it terrible how politicians, especially Trump, are using the World Cup for their own benefit. One side of me says I don’t even want to look at it. On the other hand, I say to myself: This is our football and we don’t want to let the game be taken away from us. I’ll definitely end up watching again. But the national team is a separate chapter for me. Compared to Eintracht, I watch them rather emotionlessly. But in the end anything is possible in football, who knows.