Clock ticking fast on Hamburg’s Bundesliga future

HAMBURG: Fallen German giants Hamburg could be relegated from the Bundesliga’s top-flight for the first time in their history.

A clock in their Volksparkstadion proudly displays how long Hamburg have been in the Bundesliga – they are the only ever-presents since the Division was founded in 1963. The now mighty Bayern Munich were only a Second-Division club back then.

But Hamburg’s proud record is now in serious danger.

Lying second from bottom after taking just 28 points from 33 games, the club must beat Borussia Moenchengladbach at home today and hope Wolfsburg, who are one place and two points above them, lose at home to already-relegated Cologne.

“In mathematical terms, the chance is low, but in football, an awful lot is possible,” Hamburg coach Christian Titz said defiantly.

“Lots of people in Hamburg will be Cologne fans on Saturday.

“The problem is, we could do our homework, get the win and still it might not be enough.”

So desperate are Hamburg fans to get the right results on Saturday that barrels of beer are being pledged, via Twitter, to Cologne should they beat Wolfsburg.

The goal is to finish 16th, which would mean for the third time in five years Hamburg would face the ordeal of a relegation playoff, this time against Holstein Kiel, who finished third in Germany’s second tier.

To sweeten the bitter taste of regular defeats, the squad handed out free scoops of ice cream to long-suffering Hamburg fans at training on Tuesday.