The struggle to protect Bundesliga standards

Silvio Vella

There might have been plenty of entertainment, but it has been an unusual and not always satisfactory season in Germany. From purely footballing concerns, such as Bayern Munich’s dominance, the video assistant referees (VAR) and the 50+1 rule, to socio-political issues such as right-wing extremists and increased police powers, the 2017/18 Bundesliga season has provided no shortage of issues for active German football fans to get their teeth into. Many of the grievances resulted from a percieved over-commersalisation of the game at the expense of regular match-going fans.

At the very top, a Bundesliga season that started with Bayern Munich showing uncharacteristic weakness, and firing trainer Carlo Ancelotti before the Oktoberfest had even begun, ended much like the one before.

Bayern made it six straight league titles, dominating the Bundesliga once again and establishing themselves as one of the best teams in club history, after Jupp Heynckes was brought in. He galvanised the squad, proving that even a 72year-old can still successfully go up against some of the country’s best young trainers. But it was not quite the fairy-tale ending Bayern had hoped for after coming away empty-handed in the Champions League and DFB Pokal.

The Meisterschaft (Championship) parties inside the stadium and in the city centre felt devoid of genuine joy, like an end-of-the-financial-year office get together when there has been zero growth and no employee bonuses.

Calls to make the league competitive aside, there were also some positive surprises near the top of the table, including Schalke 04, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, a trio that spent much of the second half of the season competing for a place in Europe and adding some flair and excitement to a campaign rendered moot after Bayern captured the ‘Meisterschale’ with five match days remaining.

Borussia Dortmund were supposed to contend for the title this season and were expected by many to break Bayern’s dominance on the Bundesliga. Instead, they were largely disappointing.

Although they just about hit their target of qualifying for the Champions League, a tally of 55 points and fourth place spoke of a dramatic loss of form. The Black and Yellows appointed the wrong trainer in Peter Bosz, who got all his tactics wrong, only to change course and head into the other direction by appointing the defensive-minded Peter Stoger as his replacement.

Dortmund’s neighbours, Schalke 04, meanwhile feel that they have finally got their managerial appointment right. Under the 32-year-old Domenico Tedesco, the Royal Blues have been one of the season’s pleasant surprises. After finishing 10th last season, Schalke surprised many by challenging for a Champions League spot for much of the year. They rarely produced breadth taking fare, but they were tactically flexible, tough to beat and hugely competent. Finishing second was a well-deserved reward for their efficiency and holds promise of further improvement.

Hoffenheim’s acheivements were even more impressive. Despite losing their key players (Sule’, Rudy and Wagner all moved to Bayern Munich), Julain Nagelsmann’s team nevertheless powered to a historic third-place finish and it will be fascinating to see the 30-year-old trainer apply the lessons of a botched Europa League campaign to his first outing in the Champions League next season.

Bayer Leverkusen, having come so far under Heiko Herrlich and developed into one of the best teams to watch in the Bundesliga, fell agonisingly short on goal difference, after ending up level on points with both Hoffenheim and Dortmund, and had to settle for an Europa League spot.

Talking of the Europa League, there’s ample reason to believe Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt will represent Germany better than Freiburg, Hertha Berlina and FC Koln did last season.

The latter, never recovered from getting carried away by their first European outing in 25 years to finish the season in bottom place. Wolfsburg survived via a relegation play-off win against Holstein Kiel but the for- mer northern powerhouse Hamburg SV finally lost their prolonged relegation battle. After nearly 55 years in the Bundesliga, the famous clock inside Hamburg’s stadium has been reset to show the time since the club’s formation in September 1887. Let’s hope that it won’t take them another 130 years to get back to the top flight!

Off the pitch, this has been a tumultuous season which saw VAR introduced in the Bundesliga for the first time, a Premier-League-styled TV deal kicking in, a handful of Monday matchdays as well as more invasive security measures during matchdays, coupled with the threats to the 50+1 rule. It has been a case of too many changes, too soon for the Bundesliga followers.

Intended to make the game fairer by intervening in cases of clearly incorrect decisions, the VAR’s trial phase experienced initial teething problems but the use of the technology has improved as the season progressed. Nevertheless, the feeling among a large section of spectators is that VAR may ultimatley make the correct decision, but the process robs the game of its spontaneity and emotion.

Audible chats of “You’re destroying our game” has been commonplace throughout the season.

But this was not the only issue for German football fans to make their feelings known this season.

The German Football League’s (DFL) scheduling of five Monday night fixtures this season, ostensibly designed to give the Bundesliga Europa League participants an extra day rest, after having played on Thursday, also brought protests from fan groups across the country, be- lieving this was purely aimed at boosting television audiences.

Ahead of the Monday night game between Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, Frankfurt fans delayed kick-off by leaving their terrace and surrounding the pitch, and again, in the second half, by throwing tennis ball into the goalmouth.

A week later, Borussia Dortmund supporters announced an outright boycott of their Monday night game against Augsburg. Over 25,000 fans stayed away from Germany’s biggest stadium, leaving the famous Yellow Wall half empty.

Indeed, despite the plethora of issues plaguing the Bundesliga this season, the 50+1 rule is arguably the most important. Unique to German football, the rule stipulates that 50 per cent of shares plus one, in a professional football team, must belong to the team’s present company.

The DFL members’ majority voting, of keeping the 50+1 rule intact, during last March’s vote, was considered by ‘traditionalists’ as a sign of healthy democracy reasserting itself in German football and pushing back against the financial influence of billionaires and foreign investors, ensuring that the Bundesliga’s most distinctive elements – from cheap tickets and concessions, club governance representation, as well as the famed grassroots supporter culture – remain in place.

But critics, such as Hannover president Martin Kind, argue that the rule discourages financial investement in German clubs, making it difficult to compete with Bayern Munich and other top European clubs. If Bayern Munich can win six straight titles, and always by a wide margin, it says less about their qualities than about the shortcomings of their rivals.

This rift between two different mindsets, offers the biggest challenge for the way forward of German football.

For the local supporters, who attend matches regularly, do not care much about the quality of football they are watching as much as about the values representing German football and their ability to either experience or participate in the Bundesliga matchday atmosphere.

Bundesliga followers outside Germany may seem more sympathetic towards opening the door to foreign investment to make German football more competitive at club level. Giving up symbolic values and embracing the pragmatism of modern footballing economics, might make more sense in today’s globalised game.

Opinions on various prodcasts, blogs and social media activity differ. The standard view is that ultras cling too tightly and too emotionally to the 50+1 rule while missing the boat on the larger and more significant commercialisation that has seeped in German football already. Are they fighting a losing battle against modernity and globalisation?

Eintracht Frankfurt’s president Axel Hellmann has come out with some concrete proposal. Fixing club colours and badges in place, while guaranteeing supporters access and participation in the clubs, regardless of who owned it.

Developments in football tend to come in waves. Success is not a permanent state but happens in phases. If the clubs and the league draw the right conclusions, things should improve again. But it will take a few years.

In the meantime, Bayern Munich’s hegemony will remain unchallenged.