Ein Bundesligaspiel wird nach Beleidigungen zur Solidaritätsbekundung für Dietmar Hopp. Die Anteilnahme in der Liga ist groß. Aber eigentlich geht es um etwas anderes.
Hoffenheim vs. FC Bayern: It’s not about Dietmar Hopp
After insults from the crowd a Bundesliga game is turned into a show of solidarity for Dietmar Hopp. There’s sympathy throughout the league. But actually it’s about something else. A commentary by Christian Spiller
Those who only became aware of the reactions must have wondered what dramatic events had taken place. There were two interruptions of the game between Hoffenheim and FC Bayern by the ref. During the final 15 minutes both teams went on strike, just passing the ball to each other with the audience applauding in solidarity. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke of „the ugly face of football“ and said „I’m deeply ashamed, on behalf of FC Bayern, for these anarchists“. And even Sportschau, usually so level-headed, outbid itself with a reaction somewhere between outrage and deepest sympathy.
Had the Bayern fans stormed the pitch? Set the opposing fans’ block on fire? Kidnapped an opposing player? No, they had insulted Dietmar Hopp.
In the Bayern fans’ section two banners were shown calling the billionaire a „son of a bitch“. That’s not on. But it begs the question if these reactions were really in proportion to all these other recent incidents in German football. When for example Hertha’s Jordan Torunarigha was standing crying on the pitch a good three weeks ago having been, as he said, racially abused by Schalke-fans, the game wasn’t interrupted. But Torunarigha was sent off shortly after with a second yellow after slamming a crate of water to the ground in frustration.
It’s always difficult to balance offenses against each other. But this time in Hoffenheim the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL, German Football League) set a precedent. Consequently it would now have to interrupt or even suspend games after every insult. Everybody who goes to the stadium once in a while knows: the majority of games would get dragged out quite a bit from now on, often not even making it to the half-time break.
Now obviously you could opine the stadiums would be a nicer place if things there went down a bit more mannerly. But after Hoffenheim it very much seems that DFL doesn’t protect those that need protection, like those being targeted by racist or homophobic insults, in short: minorities. So far only billionaires. They may be a minority as well, but usually they can cope.
Essentially this is about something else entirely anyway, and it’s rather striking how neither the club officials or players, nor most of the media want to deal with this: the banners are the latest chapter in a culture clash. They’re not aimed at the person Dietmar Hopp, but against DFB, DFL and what Dietmar Hopp symbolically stands for. They are just part of a long fight of the ultras, charging the football establishment with selling out their beloved sport. Because if you go to the effort of reading all the banners from the Bayern section you’ll find there’s more: „Nothing changes, DFB break their word, Hopp remains a son of a bitch.“
The ultras charge DFB with re-introducing collective punishments. A little over a week ago it transpired that the fans of Borussia Dortmund were banned from travelling to Hoffenheim until 2022. Because of taunting Dietmar Hopp. So many were punished for the misdeeds of a few, a rather medieval understanding of justice. Even more so as DFB had announced two years ago that there would be no more collective punishment. Intending to ease the tense relationship with the fan base. Now it’s escalating.
„Even if we’re not affected by the punishment and the subject of Hopp isn’t of as much relevance to us, we’re considering this an attack on fans’ rights in general“ the Bayern-fans wrote on suedkurve-muenchen.org. „To us it’s an affront that we can’t let go unanswered.“ [here’s a translation of their statement].
The ultras are solidarising with each other. Last weekend already Gladbach fans had held up a banner of Dietmar Hopp in the cross hairs. A number of commentators, among them DFB president Fritz Keller, brought this into context with the terrorist attack at Hanau, which in turn led to a banner by the BVB fans this week saying „If you misuse the dead of Hanau to silence fan sections you reveal yourself to be more amoral than any cross hairs“. Later in Dortmund as well there were chants taunting Dietmar Hopp and the referee threatened to suspend the game here as well. In 1. FC Köln’s block on Saturday evening there was an insulting banner, too, as was in Dynamo Dresden’s block on Friday evening.
Calling Hopp a son of a bitch is a cheap and uncreative insult, though it only became more and more popular among fans because of Hopp’s outrage. Like a child who’s parents forbade them to use a certain swearword and who because of this very reason keeps shouting it across the playground. May be immature, but notedly the organised fan bases have thus found a way to gather attention for their issues. Also because they're hardly registered when appearing more mildly.
In the commercial apparatus of football the ultras are usually the only ones that can cause friction [as in: have any influence against TPTB], that disrupt and interfere. Who critise pure money making. Criticise training camps in Qatar. Over expensive ticket prices. Splitting up matchdays for TV. For a long time Dietmar Hopp had represented what they take issue with: a billionaire lifting a village club to the Bundesliga by showering it with money while obeying the so-called 50+1 rule, according to which an investor may not have any executive power/influence at a club, only on paper, if at all.
The events on Saturday won’t lead to a peaceful solution, quite the opposite. The seemingly pre-arranged reactions of players, coaches and managers showed they have no understanding of the concerns of those who regularly follow them for hundreds of kilometres across the country or even across Europe, come rain or shine. The culture clash will only intensify.
