Fan protests dominate in Bremen

Bayern Munich's win away at Werder Bremen went according to expectations in sporting terms, but when it comes to the stands, it was about much more than just three points. Both sets of fans took part in the nationwide protests against fan-unfriendly kickoff times, specifically on Monday.

On November 20, the collective of German fan groups, known as Fanszene Deutschland, announced its latest set of protests against the separation of matchdays, calling for an atmosphere boycott during the entire first half of games held during the weekend between November 30 and December 3, the first Bundesliga matchday to include a Monday game.

Just a day later, the German Football League (DFL) announced that Bundesliga clubs had already agreed "unanimously” to abolish Monday fixtures from the 2020/21 season.

About more than the league

However, that didn't stop the protests from going ahead. "It's clear that this announcement by the DFL is a big success,” the statement from Fanszene Deutschland that was issued ahead of the protest read. "But that is not enough for us. We'd like Monday games to be abolished generally, in every league!”

This solidarity between fans across Germany is more than just about principles. Benedikt, a member of ultra group Caillera, says the fact that fans from across Germany's leagues took part in the protests was a catalyst of its success, but at the same time, there's a practical aspect to it. "No club or fans should be arrogant enough to think this won't affect them at some point,” says Benedikt.

This wave of protests had a different focus than the previous ones. Instead of focusing on the DFL and their role in the additional fixtures, fans flew banners calling for their clubs to stand for their rights. "People forget that unlike the German Football Association (DFB), the DFL is made out of the clubs that play in it,” Benedikt says, adding that they're in constant contact with Werder officials so that this view will be represented. "The protests are not everything we do,” he adds.

Lennart is a Werder Bremen fan that travels to most games from afar. "For me, as a regular fan and not an ultra, it is very hard to get to games as long as they're not over the weekend,” he says. Not everyone agrees. Lennart thinks it's a matter of difference between "fans that sit down and the fans that stand.”

'S*** like HSV'

This conflict could also be felt at the beginning of the game. While the lower part of the Ostkurve, where Bremen’s hardcore supporters are located, were flying protest banners against Monday games, the upper part of it was hardly on board. “You are s*** like HSV,” sang the upper part of the tier, while loud boos could be heard from the away end, in which no support was heard for the whole first half. Bayern took the lead, but there was still no chants of support from their end apart from the obvious cheers.

The difference was felt as soon as the boycott came to an end. In Bremen's case, it was after 20 minutes and 30 seconds, a reference to the Monday kickoff time of 20:30. The ultras got going, and so did the atmosphere.

As Yuya Osako's equalizer went in in the 33rd minute, the Weserstadion was rocking. But it was during the other moments of the game in which the difference was felt, as the ultras kept on supporting their players while most fans kept silent in their seats.

The second half was a different story. It was back to normal for Bayern's ultras. Both sets of fans exchanged chants against each other as the difference in noise levels could not be ignored. It felt different to the first half. It felt like a football game.

Bayern got their second in the 50th minute through Serge Gnabry, to the sounds of very loud chants and cheers from their fans. What a difference one half makes.

At the end of the day, both fans did their part in the protests. But did it do the trick? "We want the DFL to see that without us, they're losing an important part of what they see as their product,” said Benedikt before the game. It certainly felt that way from the stands.