At Hamburger SV’s second division game against Hannover 96, fans once again protested against the German Football League’s (DFL) investor plans and caused a long interruption. Before the start of the second half, several HSV fans managed to lock heavy bicycle locks on the posts of a goal, which could only be removed with a power cutter. Several objects also flew onto the field.
A few minutes after referee Sören Storks kicked off the game for the second half and Dennis Hadzikadunic (47th minute) scored the goal for HSV to make it 2-3, the game had to be interrupted again. In the block of 96 supporters, banners could be seen with the inscriptions “CVC & Blackstone puppets of Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing”, “Consistent action in the face of personified threats of violence” and “Play interruption now”. Three portraits were also shown, each with a crosshair, including the head of 96 boss Martin Kind.
There were also protests and game interruptions in Dortmund
After neither 96 captain Ron Robert Zieler, coach Stefan Leitl and the entire Hanover team achieved anything with the fans, referee Storks asked the players into the dressing rooms. The 96 fans then removed the banners. The referee announced via the stadium announcer that he would stop the game if further actions followed.
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The game was then able to continue without any further interruptions. Hannover won 3:4.
Marcus Mann, sports director of Hannover 96, criticized the ongoing protests after the game: “Of course things cannot and must not continue as they are at the moment. The mood in the stadium is at risk of changing at some point.” This is a “catastrophe”, especially for the players who have to warm up again and again after the long interruptions. You now have to find a solution.
There were also protests by fans in the 1st Bundesliga game between Dortmund and Freiburg. Tennis balls were thrown onto the grass from the BVB supporters’ block, and the game was then interrupted for ten minutes in the 36th minute.
Hertha managing director criticizes the length of the protest actions
Last Sunday, the Hertha – HSV game almost had to be canceled due to loud fan protests. Fans threw countless tennis balls from the Hertha corner onto the field in the second half. The game was then interrupted for a total of 30 minutes.
Hertha managing director Thomas Herrich criticized the length of the fan protest: “I completely understand the criticism. It is completely legitimate to take actions and express criticism. The manner is different. That went on for far too long for me.” However, the spokesman for the fan umbrella organization Unser Kurve, Thomas Kessen, believes the protests are justified. “Protest that doesn’t hurt isn’t a protest,” he said. He expects further actions from the supporters this weekend, including game interruptions, “because the DFL has not made an offer that is even remotely worth negotiating.”
The background is the planned entry into the DFL of an investor who wants to acquire a six to eight percent stake in a DFL subsidiary to which all media rights are outsourced. Many football fans fear this will distort competition.
At Hamburger SV’s second division game against Hannover 96, fans once again protested against the German Football League’s (DFL) investor plans and caused a long interruption. Before the start of the second half, several HSV fans managed to lock heavy bicycle locks on the posts of a goal, which could only be removed with a power cutter. Several objects also flew onto the field.
A few minutes after referee Sören Storks kicked off the game for the second half and Dennis Hadzikadunic (47th minute) scored the goal for HSV to make it 2-3, the game had to be interrupted again. In the block of 96 supporters, banners could be seen with the inscriptions “CVC & Blackstone puppets of Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing”, “Consistent action in the face of personified threats of violence” and “Play interruption now”. Three portraits were also shown, each with a crosshair, including the head of 96 boss Martin Kind.