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Eintracht's president calls for an end to Monday kickoffs

Chuck Penfold
March 7, 2018

The president of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt has called on the league to do away with Monday kickoffs. The first two such matches have been met with fan protests and a partial boycott.

https://p.dw.com/p/2ttSt
Fussball - Eintracht Frankfurt Präsident Peter Fischer
Image: picture alliance/CITYPRESS 24

Eintracht Frankfurt President Peter Fischer used an interview with public broadcaster WDR on Wednesday to call for an end to Monday evening kickoffs, which have been unpopular with many German fans.

Fischer conceded that the clubs, including his own, had agreed to introduce Monday night kickoffs, ostensibly to make it easier on teams involved in the Europa League, which plays its games on Thursday. 

"We all supported it, because it was about money," he said. "This was about money, and playing on a Monday brought extra funds into our club."

He also indicated that the extra revenue was a "manageable sum," indicating that doing without it should not pose a major problem for his club or the league.

A lesson learned

"We have learned what Bundesliga football on Mondays means," the 61-year-old Fischer said with a view to fan protests at Eintracht's home game against Leipzig two weeks ago. These were followed a week later by protests and a partial fan boycott of Dortmund's home match against Augsburg.

1. Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt vs RB Leipzig | Protest Montagsspiele
RB Leipzig's Peter Gulasci helps pick up tennis balls hurled onto the pitch in protest at the Monday night game in FrankfurtImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm

Fischer, who made international headlines earlier this year by saying he would refuse to allow members of the far-right political party AfD to join his football club, conceded that the Bundesliga's television contract, which mandates the Monday kickoffs, isn't set to expire until 2021.

However, he also said he was optimistic that the league, the clubs and the broadcast rights holder would all come to the conclusion that holding Bundesliga matches on Monday nights wasn't good for anyone involved, and that they come up with a way to avoid scheduling them in future.

"If you have nobody in the stands, nobody in the stadium is waving a flag, or booing or cheering, it makes for a pretty dull television broadcast," he concluded.