Hooligans, riot police, horses and relegation
Riot police stormed on to the pitch, some riding on horses, guarding Hamburg’s players as supporters lit flares and threw objects in anger.
‘‘It was crazy,’’ Phoenix midfielder Matti Steinmann said, looking back on one of the darkest days in the club’s history. ‘‘It was a crazy day.’’
On May 12, 2018 Hamburg were relegated from Germany’s Bundesliga for the first time.
Despite beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 in their final game, they were unable to avoid the drop after a miserable start to the season.
As the only club to have spent their entire existence in the Bundesliga up until that point, Hamburg’s relegation hit hard.
‘‘There were horses on the pitch because a few hooligans went crazy.’’
Hamburg were so proud of the fact they had spent all 55 seasons in Germany’s top-flight a clock was put on display inside Volksparkstadion to count every second. But the clock became a symbol for their impending doom in the 2017-18 season, as relegation drew closer with every defeat.
‘‘There was heaps of talking in the newspapers about that and everyone kept asking the coach about the clock.’’
Steinmann joined Hamburg as a 14-year-old and made his first two senior appearances against Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in 2014. He said they were so good Hamburg barely touched the ball.
‘‘Franck Ribery, Robert Lewandowski, Xavi Alonso, Toni Kroos was playing as well. All of the big players, Jerome Boateng. It was the year after they won the Champions League final so they were at the peak of their level and it was a massive experience to play against them.
‘‘It was a big dream that came true in those games. When you sit on the bench you always want to come in, especially as a young player.
‘‘I was in the squad a couple of games before my debut as well but the old coach was under pressure but then I finally got my chance when the reserve team coach was in charge.
‘‘I was happy to make my debut and play for the club. I wanted to have more games but after that games was a big gap.’’
Due to a serious knee injury, it was only in the latter stages of the 2017-18 campaign, in the midst of a relegation battle, that Steinmann became a regular starter for Hamburg. But despite their season teetering on the brink of despair, the German under-20 international said he never gave up hope.
‘‘I‘‘ There were horses on the pitch because a few hooligans went crazy.’’ Matti Steinmann
‘‘I wanted us to do the best we could to give ourselves the best chance of staying in the league.
‘‘When the new coach was in charge he just told the team we have eight games and we just have to belief we can achieve it, we can’t continue playing like the last 20 games, we need to believe in ourselves and play more brave and more bold.
‘‘That’s what we did, the last eight games we were successful but the gap was just too big to stay in the league.’’
After a crushing 3-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the penultimate round, Hamburg needed a miracle to save their season.
Not only did they have to beat Moenchengladbach at home in the final game, but they also needed the already relegated Cologne to beat Wolfsburg.
But Wolfsburg made light work of Cologne, winning 4-1 to leave Hamburg two points short of the relegation playoff.
‘‘We really needed their help but they lost to Wolfsburg. At that moment I realised ‘wow, this is sad now’."
The game was stopped on multiple occasions as fans vented their anger, lighting flares and throwing objects on to the pitch. But Steinmann said it was only a small group of hooligans who were causing the trouble, and in a strange way their relegation seemed to unite the majority of the club’s supporters.
When the fulltime whistle blew, their fate finally sealed, the crowd began to sing.
‘‘I’ve got goosebumps right now just thinking about that moment. It was a really crazy day,’’ he said.
‘‘My whole family and friends were in the stadium and they were saying when they were burning all the fires the hooligans got booted out but all the other supporters were supporting the team, they sang a song about the city, that they support the city and they love the club, that they wanted to go with pride to the second league.
‘‘It was such a unique day in so many ways because it was sad, but the whole supporters and the crowd was so proud of what we achieved in the last eight games of the season, even though it was mainly a sad day because of the relegation.
‘‘It was quite negative the years before because the club was struggling, they used to have success and they wanted to go to the Champions League or the Europa League.
‘‘All the fans were against the team, against the coach, against the board.
‘‘Then the club changed a bit, the coach brought in a new feeling because we were playing great, the fans were craving good football and we showed good football and got the results as well. They appreciated the way we played, how brave we were and the more wins we got the more support we got from the fans.’’
It was a bittersweet end to the season for Steinmann. He was devastated to play a role in his boyhood club’s worst season, but he was also proud to have played at all, starting each of the final eight games, his most consistent run of matches and the club’s most successful spell of an otherwise disastrous campaign.
‘‘First and foremost I was sad as a player but all my friends and family were supporters of the club and they were sad as well but happy for me that I played all the games when we did well,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s always pressure when you play for the club because you need the result but I try to avoid that feeling. I just want to enjoy and do the best I can and play brave, with pride and be bold.’’
Now living in Wellington where he plays for the Phoenix, Steinmann still follows Hamburg closely and said he was optimistic about their chances of being promoted back to the Bundesliga. They are currently second place in the second division, three points behind the leaders.
‘‘I just hope the best for the club because I love the club and I love the city. It’s my home. I just wish them all the best.’’