• The Shop
  • The Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • About
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • The Shop
  • The Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • About
  • Contact Us
Search
Close
  • The Shop
  • The Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • About
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • The Shop
  • The Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • About
  • Contact Us
Home Latest

German fan culture – Lost in translation

Pink by Pink
May 11, 2015
in Latest, Opinion
German fan culture – Lost in translation
44
SHARES
364
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BY MARK GODFREY

In this most western of West German cities, Aachen – a favoured seat of medieval king Charlemagne – you’ll find the home of ‘Die Kartoffelkäfer’ (Potato Beetles), or TSV Alemannia Aachen to give them their proper title. Having reached the dizzy heights of the Bundesliga a decade or so ago, the club descended rapidly back to the local Regionalliga West and the fourth tier of German football. Nestled tightly up against the Belgian border, this ancient, Roman spa town of around a quarter of a million people is not renowned or synonymous with footballing success – think Plymouth or Brighton as a similar-sized non-achiever.

This week, I was able to spend a bloody-freezing evening at their 32,000 capacity New Tivoli stadium – one whose construction in 2009 cost around 50 million Euros and played a significant role in bankrupting the club a few years later. It was undoubtedly a good set up; shiny, new, well-designed, but obviously built on far too much giddy ambition based on the club’s previous history and regular support. But it was exactly that support that I found myself paying perhaps a little too much attention to given I’d just stumped up 15 Euros for a seat for the Bitburger Cup quarter-final with Middle Rhine League side – and virtual villagers – Borussia Freialdenhoven.

The first thing that struck me on my approach to Tivoli was the various groups of scruffy-looking punters swigging cans of local brew openly on the street, with six packs (of beer) and full carrier bags clearly visible. No Polizei to be seen,I noted, but there was probably no need for them to be. It’s often been said that foreign fans have a better grasp on alcohol consumption and behaviour while under its influence than those from our islands, and while these were only small gatherings in the shadows of Tivoli’s towering stands, there appeared to be little potential for trouble.

Once inside I headed straight for the refreshment kiosks, and from my previous experience of German football, I knew this meant beer and sausage. The purchasing of said unhealthy items had dual purpose; firstly, it had been a while since I had savoured the delicious taste of currywurst and fries and while the temperature was hovering perilously close to zero, I really fancied a chilled lager – even if it was the overpriced, watered-down version on offer at a football ground. Secondly, I wanted to do some people watching; a semi-interesting way to waste 45 minutes of alone time before kick-off.

I was expecting the usual hordes of giant-moustachioed, sleeveless denim wearing badge and patch collectors that are seemingly omnipresent at German stadia. However, in the section where I was chowing down at least, I was to be disappointed. Plenty of yellow and black merchandise-wearing middle-aged men, wrapped up tightly against the elements and families eagerly beavering around the concourse, but archetypal German fans? Keine.

Pre-match sustenance devoured, I took my seat dead on halfway and a quick glance to my left revealed a packed home end – a full standing area and to be generous, a miniature version of Dortmund’s colossal Südtribüne. The crowd was bouncing, in that way we’ve come to expect of German fans to bounce, and sing and hug and shout. Imaginative flags and banners waved, brightly coloured and decorated with whichever logo or slogan its owner had chosen to dedicate to Aachen’s cause. These people are self-styled Ultras, but in a different and seemingly non-threatening way compared to the Italian originals or the growing Balkan variety. Not only did they sing and jump in choreographed unison but there were banners that directly espouse “Freundschaft und Zussamenhalt” (friendship and cohesion). Whether that sentiment extends to opposition fans as well as their own, I don’t know, but I got the feeling this fan culture was different to our own in England in that respect.

Or maybe these guys were re-appropriating the term Ultras. I dare say there were a few more angry types sprinkled among those badly singing their rather shitty curse-free songs and “Olé Olé’s”. The type that like their beer a bit stronger than the rest, stand far too close to the drummer than is necessary and think that if you don’t buy the fanzine then you’re some kind of “fucking asshole”, or worse, a Dortmund/Schalke/Cologne fan.

In England, there is a small but growing fan movement committed to greater harmony between clubs, governing bodies and fellow supporter groups but in Germany, they seem to be light years ahead as we see regularly when comparing the two countries. The Germans appear to have largely shed the more unsavoury, antagonistic supporter traits that we in England have become all too happy to cling onto. Tribalism is one thing, but vitriol, spite and hatred are entirely different.

Back with me in the ‘expensive’ seats, they were ready to join in the co-ordinated chanting, although there was a little too much heady mix of cigar smoke and Brut for my tastes.

The game itself was wholly one-sided; Aachen – with a few Arjen Robben, Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller lookalikes/wannabes – running out more than comfortable 3-0 winners against their grossly inferior opponents. As Newcastle-born Kris Thackray entered the fray late on, the crowd began to urge their team forward to garnish their superiority with a couple more goals. Frantic cries of “Schiess” from young and old punctuated the final ten minutes as one more communal rendition of “Alemannia Aachen, du bist mein Stolz und Liebe” reverberated around Tivoli. As added time approached, a decent proportion of the 3,500 in attendance began to make an early dash for the exits. Some things are the same wherever you go.

 

 

 

Share18Tweet11Share4

Related Posts

The physio: The manager and his partnership with the medical team
Current

The physio: The manager and his partnership with the medical team

When then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho became embroiled in an internal row with club doctor Eva Carneiro in the club’s...

by Gavin Blackwell
January 15, 2021
328
Paolo Rossi: And the horns went quiet in Norton Street
Latest

Paolo Rossi: And the horns went quiet in Norton Street

By David McGaw Ten thousand natives, descendants and friends of the vibrant Italian diaspora within the harbour city blared...

by The Football Pink
January 14, 2021
357
Phil Parkes exclusive interview: ‘People don’t realise how good 1970s soccer was’
Interviews

Phil Parkes exclusive interview: ‘People don’t realise how good 1970s soccer was’

On 22nd July 1981, spectators inside the Spartan Stadium cluster together to form a modest crowd of just over...

by Eliott Brennan
January 13, 2021
362
Willie Hamilton: A Legacy Lost In Time
Latest

Willie Hamilton: A Legacy Lost In Time

While Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, it is often overlooked as the capital of Scottish football. The fierce...

by James Jackson
January 13, 2021
379
Load More
Next Post
Book review – The Soccer Diaries by Michael J. Agovino

Book review – The Soccer Diaries by Michael J. Agovino

The physio: The manager and his partnership with the medical team
Current

The physio: The manager and his partnership with the medical team

by Gavin Blackwell
January 15, 2021
0
328

When then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho became embroiled in an internal row with club doctor Eva Carneiro in the club’s first...

Read more
Paolo Rossi: And the horns went quiet in Norton Street

Paolo Rossi: And the horns went quiet in Norton Street

January 14, 2021
357
Phil Parkes exclusive interview: ‘People don’t realise how good 1970s soccer was’

Phil Parkes exclusive interview: ‘People don’t realise how good 1970s soccer was’

January 13, 2021
362
Willie Hamilton: A Legacy Lost In Time

Willie Hamilton: A Legacy Lost In Time

January 13, 2021
379
Diary of a refugee football club secretary (Part One)

Diary of a refugee football club secretary (Part Five)

January 9, 2021
347

© 2020 footballpink.net

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Gmail
  • Print Friendly
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr