Dietmar Hopp
Fans vent anger at Hoffenheim owner
Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp has vowed to keep attending games despite visiting Bayern Munich fans targetting him with abusive banners during a chaotic Bundesliga fixture at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, which Bayern comfortably won 6-0.
For many German football fans, Hopp and Hoffenheim simply embody everything they detest in the modern game: a “plastic club” without tradition, a one-man-band form of ownership.
The reason stems from Hoffenheim being granted exemption, in 2015, from the member-majority rules governing the structure of professional clubs in Germany. But Hopp insists he will not be cowed, declaring: “Why shouldn’t I go to the stadium? The people who do this are the ones who should stay away.
“If I knew what these idiots wanted from me, it would be all the easier for me to understand.”
In chaotic scenes which did little for the image of German football, referee Christian Dingert twice had to suspend play late in the second half, implementing the domestic federation’s three-step protocol for dealing with offensive banners or racism.
Bayern officials, players and coach Hansi Flick pleaded with their supporters to tone down the antics, but when play resumed, 13 minutes of non-combatant action ensued, with players merely passing the ball among themselves. Hoffenheim skipper Benjamin Hubner later told newspaper that the two squads collectively agreed to call a truce as a way of protesting against the fans’ behaviour. “We didn’t want to allow the match to be abandoned,” he said. “We were trying to give a sign.”
At the final whistle, players and representatives from both clubs made a point of standing together and saluting the home fans. Tellingly, Bayern’s players made no attempt to interact with their own supporters.
Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was especially damning, saying: “This has been a dark day for football. I must clearly and unequivocally say that I’m ashamed of what happened in the away end.
“We have had everything filmed and will take action with all our might against those who have discredited our club.”
It is thought two Bayern fan groups, Red Fanatic and Schickeria, were to blame, but to what extent Rummenigge will go to war against them is unknown
Of course, the anti-Hopp brigade is not confined to Bayern. Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach, Cologne and Union Berlin fans have all made similar feelings known.
In the stands, hate is definitely winning at the moment.