Fahnen-Klat: “Frankfurt fans provide their interest in the sport”

After the renewed fence flag slat at VfL Bochum and the 50-minute kick-off against Eintracht Frankfurt, a discussion of too much influence the fans has flared up again. “We have to be careful not to overturn,” said Frankfurt board member Philipp Reschke after the victory of his team in the Bundesliga Sunday game. Reschke clearly criticized the traveling SGE supporters for their behavior before the game and announced consequences.

Frankfurt fans had attached a banner in the guest area, but blocked an escape route. The stadium spokesman had asked the guest fans before the planned start of the game at 3:30 p.m. The Frankfurt Annex initially refused this. Reschke spoke of a “heated” and “difficult” debate on the fence.

Only after half an hour of discussion did the SGE fans lose all banner and left the stadium in large parts. “This is a solution that we are all satisfied with, of course, because it shouldn’t have come that far.

Bochum’s coach Dieter Hecking also criticized: “I would have liked the fans to be insightful.” His Frankfurt colleague Dino Toppmöller reported on a “significant drop in tension” before the game.

In addition, the ultra scenes of both clubs solidarized and refused to support support in the clearly kick-off game. Bochum’s Gerrit Holtmann complained about the lack of atmosphere: “The fans wear us, you have to say that. It was a bit missing today.”

Both Hecking and Holtmann did not basically criticize the behavior of the Ultras. “Separated in the colors, together – I think that’s good,” said substitute Holtmann, who shot the Bochum connection.

On the part of VfL Bochum, however, it also says: “Parts of the Frankfurt fan scene had previously deliberately decided to not follow the instructions from the ‘fan information’ and those of the local law enforcement officers and to put their interests on sports on site.”

It is not new that there is trouble with fan banners in Bochum. In September 2023, the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach was kicked off with a ten -minute late. In January 2024, the game against VfB Stuttgart was even before the demolition. In these cases, too, a fence flag had blocked an escape route.

According to Reschke, the problem is known to all clubs. “This should not happen to all of us as a whole, because the circumstances were known and was actually known that something like that is not negotiable,” said Frankfurt board member and added to DAZN: “We have to apologize to VfL Bochum and for everyone else who concerns this.”

According to VfL managers, the lawn service does not simply remove the banners that are not properly attached to each other, also has to do with the fear of escalation in the fan block.