Bayern fans, "blood money", and English football

Supporters in other countries can learn so much from fan culture in German football

In the weeks leading up to the coronavirus pandemic, a form of civil war broke out between Bundesliga fans, the clubs, and the DFB.

It all stemmed from Borussia Dortmund fans facing a ban for banners and chants aimed at TSG Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp. There has been protests against the billionaire, treated as an exception to the 50+1 rule and allowed to own Hoffenheim outright, for years. But Dortmund fans chanting that he was a “son of a whore” was considered a step too far, and the club were banned from having travelling fans at away games against Hoffenheim for two years.

In other countries, especially countries without an organised ultra scene, fans tend to laugh at, provoke, and battle against each other. In Germany, ultras show solidarity with rival ultras. If it can happen to one of them, it can happen to them all. Especially after the German FA (DFB) had previously pledged not to hand out blanket bans rather than identifying individuals.

And so, at Borussia Mönchengladbach’s next game was temporarily paused when fans revealed a banner showing Hopp’s face in crosshairs.

If only the footballing world came down so hard on actual discrimination.

Bayern Munich fans were next to visit Hoffenheim and next to make a statement. There was a banner calling Hopp a “son of a whore” again. In fact, there were a few.

“Everything as it was: the DFB breaks its word. Hopp remains a son of a whore.”

The game was stopped. Bayern players pleaded with their fans to remove the banners, knowing keeping them up could see the match abandoned and cost them valuable points. For the final 13 minutes of the game, when play did resume, the players didn’t compete, but passed the ball to each other, standing around, in a show of solidarity from Bayern for Hopp and for Hoffenheim.

A documentary on the whole episode later showed the gesture wasn’t as spontaneous as the clubs had made out, with Bayern’s bosses fully aware of what their ultras had planned.

Fans were then, for obvious reasons, long absent from stadia. Until now. With the stands swelling again, ultras are returning, and Bayern group the Schickeria made their feelings towards their own club — now with a different president and CEO to before the pandemic — known again this weekend. The image gained some traction on social media":

Matt Ford @matt_4d

“For money, we’ll wash anything clean” FC Bayern München supporters with more criticism of their club’s relationship with #Qatar today, depicting the club as a willing sportswashing machine. [📷 @Sky_Torben] #fcbayern #fcbscf

But it wasn’t the first like this they have produced. As well as consistently taking stands against racism, against police violence, and against homophobia in the wider world, they have repeatedly been critical of their own club, even in the face of criticism and threats to ban them from the stadium. And amid all that, they have been called “the ugly face of Bayern” by the club’s bosses, to which they delivered a perfect response:

Alex Truica @AlexTruica

Bayern's Ultras with a clear statement towards Karl-Heinz Rummenigge* and Co.: "The very ugly face of FC Bayern is shown by those who accept blood money from Qatar and Co." [*Rummenigge critized the Ultras as the "ugly face of Bayern" after their anti Hopp banners last week]

And Qatar has been a consistent them for the Schickeria:

Felix Tamsut @ftamsut

"Workers' situation in Qatar has improved through football," Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently said. Bayern's ultras have put up a banner with his eyes covered by tomatoes. @hrw agree: p.dw.com/p/2qGKA (📸: @julienwolffwelt)

Archie Rhind-Tutt @archiert1

Bayern ultras protest against the club’s training camp in Qatar. “Outstanding training facilities.” Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pictured. 📸@Sky_Torben

Contrast the situation with football in England, where safe standing is still not allowed in the top two tiers and was vocally opposed by the police chief in charge just last week:

“You go to Italy or countries in eastern Europe and the ultras section is basically a no-go area and frankly anything goes in there. We do not want to create that sort of situation at our grounds.”

But an ultra section can be a voice for good. A political voice with traction, one that can reach a huge audience.

The behaviour of Bayern fans is unimaginable in England, where all sorts of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia have been wilfully ignored by a huge majority of Newcastle United fans. Their very own LGBT fan group have said they will not join any public protest in support of imprisoned members of the LGBT+ community in Saudi Arabia.

Adam Crafton @AdamCrafton_

In here: #NUFC LGBT fan group United With Pride inform other clubs’ LGBT supporters network they don’t intend to join them in any show of public protest after Tottenham, Palace, Brighton fans spoke up in support of imprisoned LGBT Saudis.

theathletic.comOrnstein: Solskjaer future in Joel Glazer’s hands, Overmars stays at Ajax after Newcastle link, Trent’s youth leagueThere is no indication from Manchester United that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to be sacked after the 2-0 defeat to rivals City.

It’s astounding. The arrival of the Saudi royal family has been celebrated gleefully in the north-east, while Manchester City continue to display a banner thanking Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour for the riches that have turned the club into one of the most competitive in Europe.

There is another way. It is possible to continue supporting your team while challenging the ownership and the decisions made at the top. The choice isn’t binary. And the Bayern ultras willing to risk their place in the stadium in order to say the right thing are a superb example of that.