BAFF Congress 2007

More infos (German only) from the BAFF website.

Here some words by Jim on the meeting:

My first time as a BAFFer, found it very interesting and informative, around 80 fans from all across Germany talking about a range of topics affecting German football, I sat in on the racism seminar and nationalism (in the wake of the World Cup) one.

Leipzig, or more specifically Connewitz where I stayed was cool, some great pubs, good people, and the most unlikely rock star of them all, 'Butter Maker' :)

Erm, I went back on the beer for the weekend, mainly cos Staropramen was €1,60 a bottle and Pilsner Urquell €1,50, soo-poib.

Also had a wee dance for the first time in about a year, 'Electric Island', lots of electro, house and techno, till 5.30am, magic. Got about 6 hours' sleep all weekend.

I was there on behalf of TeBe but also there to represent AFFI Cup.

There were about 80 people of different ages and from various fan groups such as Babelsberg, TeBe, St Pauli, Bayern, 1860 among others. As well as just generally meeting up with people and hearing what was going on with the different fan groups from across the country I took part in two seminars/ workshops. I chose the subjects of women and football and nationalism after the World Cup.

The first talk was about women and football and was an introduction to the F_in network from Frankfurt . There were about 10 participants, many of them women fans from various teams and offered a chance to talk about how women feel about the roles they have at football and the roles that are denied them or made very difficult for them to achieve. We all received a free copy of the book "gender kicks" and there are a few interesting articles in there that we can hopefully distribute for AFFI Cup as well as organising a similar workshop with the groups involved.

The second workshop was about the rise of nationalism in Germany during and after the World Cup and the repurcussions that this could have for football fans. We talked about the changes in German nationalism and the view of Germany that Germans now have and its specific relationship towards football fans. A paper with our conclusions will be ready soon and will be made available.

The fans Babelsberg also had the chance to introduce other fans to their fans watching the police campaign.

All in all a very good fun and productive weekend for AFFI Cup but the BAFF concept and idea seems to be in a crucial phase at the moment in deciding its direction after the World Cup and significant changes within the German FA. Z.Toni will hopeful give his more experienced view within the next few days on this and other subjects.

Thanks to all those in Leipzig who made us feel welcome over the weekend.

Altglienicke II - Makkabi II - Take Two

I had a particular interest in going along to this match, because of what happened the first time these two sides met which caused the match to be abandoned. Again, the report on it can be read in full on Ten German Bombers, let's just say horrible anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and threats were involved.

Anyhow, we went along to show our solidarity, and to be there in case any stress or intimidation happened again. All in all, there were around 80 spectators, including 7 from TeBe. Not bad considering this is something like an 11th Division game.


The crowd

It was BALL freezing. It was -1 degree, with wind chill making it much colder, so much so in fact that the artificial pitch was already frozen and icy around the edges.

For such a low level, it was actually quite an entertaining affair, much more skill involved on plastic pitches, and players spent most of their time trying to stay on their feet due to slippery underfoot conditions. It was played in a good spirit, the Altglienicke fans were ok this time, just mates and family of the players, and Makkabi had the better of the play, forcing the keeper into a number of fine stops until he was finally beaten just before half-time, rounded by the tricky Makkabi number 7, who slotted it calmly home after a neat through-ball.

Everyone piled into the club house at half time for warmth. Or the kitchen, as it turned out to be. Actually we got some lovely Turkish tea, the match of course took plae in Kreuzberg on a neutral pitch, a decision made by the Berlin FA after the first one was abandoned.

One more onto the breach for the second half. Altglienicke came more into it and were unlucky not to get a penalty after what appeared to be a handball in the box. Conditions became more treacherous underfoot, a Makkabi midfielder having to come off with a nasty gash which soaked his sock in blood, and a few players landing heavily, including the keeper. Makkabi went 2 up with a great great goal, the number 11 cutting inside from the left and unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top right corner from 25 yards to the delight of the Makkabi 'ultras' ;)

But by now the pitch was bad, especially around the edges. The officials had had a talk shortly after the goal about the pitch, but opted to carry on, but after an Altglienicke player fell badly on the touchline, slipping while desperatly trying to pursue a ball and clear it upfield, the Altglienicke management said enough is enough, wanted to instigate a walk-off, the players stood around and waited, the ref and linesmen came together and said 'match abandoned'.


Off they go

The ref after said he had to take the safety of the players into consideration, and that if anything happened he could not face the responsibility, so he pulled the plug, 21 minutes before the end, he said. Felix, trusty TeBe stalwart, said that only 10 minutes were left, which would have meant the result would have stood maybe?

Anyhow, the game has to be replayed AGAIN. I'm sure the Berlin FA would have wanted to avoid this, but nothing else could be done. Shame. And I froze and probably got a cold ultimately for nothing.

Sorry the photos are so poor, realised that trying to take action night shots with poor light with my camera is a non-starter.



This for the TeBe ref, Bierverteiler! It means "Whoever swears at or insults the referee can expect to be escorted off the premises"

TuS Makkabi Berlin - Ground Renaming Ceremony

Commemorative plaque

Speeches and distinguished invited guests (no TeBe in attendance)

Julius Hirsch Tribute

Berlin's only Jewish club, TuS Makkabi Berlin, held an event today to celebrate the renaming of their new ground from 'Sportsground Eichkamp' to 'Sportsground Julius Hirsch'. The story of Julius Hirsch is remarkable and worthy of a post in itself, but I'd like to comment on the event as a fan of TeBe.

Makkabi club chairman, Tuvia Schlesinger (I think) gave a talk thanking all of the relevant parties for attending, the politicians from the BVV (local council), the chairman of the Berlin FA, Schulz, the family of Julius Hirsch, Frau Dr. Swantje Schollmeyer, responsible for the touring exhibition, representatives of the Jewish Community, and local neighbours and training facility sharers, SCC Charlottenburg. No one from Tennis Borussia was there in an official capacity. This despite the invitation being extended to TeBe. There were TeBe people present, including press spokesman Hagen, a well-known journalist season-ticket holder, and 4 fans, but all as individuals wanting to support the day.

The chairman continued by thanking SV Babelsberg 03, current league leaders, for playing a friendly match before the unveiling of the plaque to Julius Hirsch, saying specifically (paraphrased):

"We chose B03 because of their engagement against racism, in particular in the case of their away match vs BFC Dynamo, which they boycotted because of this club's refusal to deal with the obvious right-wing Nazi presence in their club's support".

He then went on to talk about the renaming, how thankful he was to all the politicians and the local council for all their support, how it was great to finally get a home after so many years of renting grounds all over Berlin and being homeless, then he felt the need to say this, which set alarm bells ringing in my head (paraphrased):

"We'd like to thank the council for their financial help in buying land and developing the grounds, all paid for thanks to the taxpayer, we're aware that some of the pitches in Eichkamp are shared by other local clubs, our neighbours such as SCC and TeBe, and we'd like to stress that these grounds are free to continue to be used by these clubs as often as possible, when necessary."

Now I knew why he said this specific sentence, and who he was referring to, after having read Lila Kanal (TeBe Forum) over the past week with regard to the background, and I felt thoroughly embarrassed, as a TeBe fan, for our club and in particular, our chairman. Here's why:

The Chief Executive of TeBe, Peter Antony, obviously felt his nose was put out of joint by these parvenus, these nouveaux riches, he felt, revelling in his current Victim status, that it was an affront that TeBe was not invited to play the friendly match (all sources gleamed from the publicly accessible Lila Kanal):

der scc und tebe trainieren seit über 50 jAHREN auf dem eichkampgelände. zur feier der umbenennung haben uns der stadtradt naumann in zusammenarbeit mit tus maccabi eingeladen. der stadtrat freut sich in diesem zusammenhang anläßlich dieses festes uns zum spiel des tus maccabi gegen den ( so wörtlich) tabellenführer der oberliga nord sv babelsberg einzuladen.
find ich doch sowas von nett. deutlicher kann man nicht aufzeigen was dem bezirk an tebe und auch an dem scc liegt.

TeBe and SCC have been training on the Eichkamp grounds for over 50 YEARS. Councillor Naumann invited us to the renaming session in cooperation with Makkabi. "The councillor, in connection with this celebration, is delighted to invite us to the match between Makkabi and the, and I quote, 'League leaders of the Oberliga North', SV Babelsberg." That I find SO nice of him. It can't be made any clearer what the local council thinks of TeBe and SCC.

1. Is it Makkabi's fault that they haven't been able to find grounds and have had to move from land to land like nomads for the last '50 years'? And now that the grounds belong to them, why shouldn't they call it this?
2. As for Babelsberg, they can invite who they like. Babelsberg have done a lot of good work in the last few years in the fields of anti-racism and anti-semitism. In addition, they approached Makkabi to offer their assistance. What did TeBe do? Also, it makes perfect financial and sporting sense to invite the league leaders, they are better than us, a better opponent and have more fans = more money for Makkabi. Good on them.

So one day TeBe are just the poor 'Jew pack' that everybody hates and persecutes, and the next day we're going to split hairs about what the ONLY Jewish sports club in Berlin want to call their new home? And persecute them as a result? Incredible.

nach der diskussion um die umbenennung ( scc und tebe waren dagegen - beide vereine haben daran erinnert, dass es viele jüdische sportler gibt die einen bezug zu berlin haben ), der unstimmigkeiten mit den neuen plätzen für maccabi ( laut stadtrat sind die beiden neuen kunstrasenplätze nur für maccabi und unsere a jugend trainiert auf nem platz der schlechtesten qualität) und einigen anderen vorkommnissen, ist dies nun das i tüpfelchen.

After the discussion regarding the renaming (SCC and TeBe were against it, both clubs recalled that there are a lot of Jewish sportsmen who have a connection with Berlin), the disagreement about the new pitches for Makkabi (according to the councillor, the new artificial pitches are only for Makkabi and our youth team has to train on the worst pitch in terms of quality) and some other incidents, this is just the icing on the cake.

So TeBe objected to the ground being renamed after one of only 2 Jewish players EVER to play for the German national team, because he's not from Berlin? Seriously? That has to be some kind of joke. And what the hell has it got to do with TeBe again? What Makkabi call their ground is their business, we brought no rational reasons to the table why this renaming was inappropriate, our reason was 'We're against it, he came from Karlsruhe'. Incredible.

As for this pitch business, it would seem that Mr. Antony has misunderstood the councillor, or has been fed false information. Hence the need for the Makkabi Chairman to set the record straight at the renaming ceremony.

I found it embarrassing that Mr. Antony cut off his nose to spite his face, and that TeBe were not represented officially at the ceremony. I find it embarrassing that the Makkabi Chairman felt the need to even say such a thing. And I wasn't alone.

With such statements on Lila Kanal and such pedantry and rubbing up people the wrong way, does he really wonder why Makkabi did not feel ANY urge WHATSOEVER to invite TeBe to play them? Not attending as a result is childish and amateurish.

The comments section is there for feedback and response, or to point out any inaccuracies or mistakes, and to clarify anything, feel free to use it.And yes, I'd be happy to repeat my sentiments to Mr. Antony and exchange views face-to-face, it's fairly clear who I am, at the latest when the N. Ireland flag gets put up.

A report on the day is on RBB, a big thanks to Endi for the photos.

By the way: The re-match of Altglienicke - Makkabi II takes place tomorrow, at a neutral venue. Here's the info:

22.01.2007

VSG Altglienicke II - Makkabi Berlin II

Anstoß: 19:30 Uhr

Sportplatz: Lohmühlenstr. - Kreuzberg

Why it's worth going along? Check out what happened last time:

Anti-semitism, Germany, Football

Got Any Spare Change?

So a thread has been opened on LK asking for fans to donate money to the club and the average donation is a solid 100 Euros but there will of course be a box for donations at the next match. So far the list looks like this:

1. Denis 150,-
2. Hagen 100,-
3. Steven 150,-
4. Philip 100,-
5. Morchelbein 100,-
6. Bart 100,-
7. Bruder von Bart 50,-
8. Bernd 100,- (über Denis)
9. Manfred 100,- (über Steven)
10. Martinb 100,-
11. Salomon 100,-
12. Hans 100,-
13. Bierverteiler 100,-

And other donations via

14. The Donation Box 10,- (which will be at every friendly match)

There is even now an account for donations:

Account Name: Fussball Kultur Berlin e.V.
Acc.-Nr.: 162 163 0
Bankcode: 100 400 00 (Commerzbank Westberlin)
Subject: Spenden für TeBe

But what exactly are people giving money for and most importantly why? I have some general problems:

Firstly, apart from some statements in the press from one of the Marx brothers about his missing 5 (sometimes 6) months pay, there is still no official statement from the club concerning the current financial situation. We fans have been continually asked to be patient and wait for the management to sort the situation out - then an official statement will be made. So why are people donating money now to the FKB account without knowing what the actual situation is?

Secondly, if the club is in need of cash flow at the moment then what is it going to go towards? Do fans really want to give their money towards paying for the legal costs and allegedly owing wages to players and training staff, who surely have a certain responsibility for any financial difficulties that the club may or may not be facing? I certainly do not want to do this, certainly without knowing the details and if the club is going to be taken to court then i do not want my money to be merely added to the ammount that the prosecution can claim as available.

Thirdly, it is still not clear which players may be leaving the club and those under contract will be subject to a transfer fee that TeBe should profit from. Even if the Marx brothers didnt meet their sporting aims, they certainly were part of a strategy that brought some good and interesting players to the club, players that certainly have the potential in many cases to play at a higher level. Before these details are made available and the club has officially made its statement then there really isn t much that the fans can do at this point.

Fourthly, the ultimate responsibility for any crisis that may or may not exist lies mostly in the hands of those who made the decisions, invested and signed the contracts. Although disappointed with the run of the season I am thankful to these people but I do not see why the fans should bail them out, at least without any background knowledge or insight into the situation at present. Football is a business and we as fans and members need this investment but also need effective management: If the management has f-ed it up so badly then they should pay their dues and get out. We need proper management and good management - this means that like in any other business that success is praised and failure punished. Again I would like to state clearly that we dont even know that anyone has actually ballsed up yet so this is just speculation based on the thread.

Fifthly - and most importantly - if the current fear is merely based on press speculation then we should consider the worst case scenario here, however much TeBe fans do not like to talk about this. If it is true that the club is in debt of a 6 figure sum, sometimes stated at around 150,000 Euros then 1,5 grand, even 2 or 3 or 4 thousand Euros isnt going to help anyone here. If TeBe really are facing bankruptcy then the money donated, some of it by youngsters without a lot of cash themselves in a rash Internet thread, is going nowhere but to pay some of a debt that will be wiped out in any insolvency scenario anyways. This money could be better used to rebuild the team afterwards if we have to start from scratch again - once donated then it is gone however. Again, until we know the situation then there is really nothing we can do- so patience people and give the management the chance to sort out the ins and outs and make their statement.

Another problem I have is the way the thread is taking in good and bad ideas and acting on them in a panic:

One of the original ideas is that the fans who donate money will all be put into a hat and the first two out get to sit in the dug outs for a match. This is really a terrible idea. Firstly, as a fan of TeBe I am not really sure that I really want fans on the bench during matches. There is a reason why they dont sit on the bench, take part in changing room discussions and shower and eat with the team - because they are fans and not players. I dont have a relationship with the players as a fan but with the team as a whole and the club. Players come and go and so do training staff, they have arguments, play well and also play badly, have arguments and are team mates. I dont want to interfere with this and wouldnt want even the more amicable of fans to be there with them - in the case of some fans the idea of them on the bench interacting with the players and giving their 2 cents makes me shudder. Secondly the difference in our division between players and fans, the distance between us and the bench is minimal but it is always the players who get to chose this distance depending on their mood and personality - it is good that it stays this way.

Another idea is even worse in my opinion and that is that some of the fans pay good money to travel to away matches in the bus with the players. The idea of a load of fans talking to the players as they are preparing for their match and discussing last minute tactics and stuff is even worse than for just the reasons given above. However great it is to hear that players enjoy playing for Tebe and appreciate the tolerant attitudes of the fans and their political stance, it doesnt necessarily mean that the players are going to be interested in meeting the average Tebe fan i fear. Again in the case of some fans I think the leass they have to do with the team the better. Reality check please.

The third idea, which is admittedly not as bad as the others is that we Tebe fans get out there and write and speak to companies and ask them to help the team by sponsorship. This is again a noble idea but from experience not that easy, especially when we as fans dont even know what we can actually offer them in real terms or what they might get for their money. An idea of dealing with this follows shortly in the next section.

Another idea was that the money could be used to pay for some things around the club that are needed. This isnt such a bad idea but perhaps these things could be covered by the council or by sponsors if some fans got more involved and helped out around the club more looking for smaller sponsors or writing to the council for funds. Again see the next section.

So what are my suggestions then, after all giving up some cash for your club isnt something that i disagree with in principle, and even if the crisis is just press speculation and nothing more then a bit of cash or new sponsors cant harm the club. Well i have a few suggestions:

1. The most important thing that fans can do is to join the club. The more members we have the better our financial future looks and the more seriously the club will be taken by the local council and the Berlin parliament. Once a member then get active - there are lots of things that can be done to help out that might just be an odd job here or there but together save the club money and help the club to function efficiently. Only recently Olaf was looking for people to help out with paperwork and the membership fees that come out of my account are less than regular sometimes. Sadly very few people answered Olaf's call to arms, I offered to help with any translation the club may need and there are surely ways that your personal skills and contacts could help out in little ways. Then, and I am a sinner here, get along to the meetings and express your ideas and make your vote count. This is important for TeBe but too few of us do this and we (me included) have no excuse.

2. Show a little bit of faith in the club and wait for their official statements before jumping the gun and adding to speculation by wildly donating money on the Internet. If the club has made the mistake of chucking money about wildly then we dont have to do the same thing. Pledges are good but we should consider how to use our investments wisely - every little bit helps is often mentioned in the thread but this is only true if it is used wisely. I would suggest an emergency fan meeting with representatives of the management if the situation isnt cleared up soon but also in any case so we as fans can consider how best to act with this new and noble idea of donations and support.

3. Instead of donating 100 Euros, why not invest this money by buying 4 friends who dont come to Tebe a season ticket for the 2nd half of the season? Not only does the club still get the money but will profit from beer and food sales, perhaps even merchandise and most importantly more fans makes the club immediately more lucrative to sponsors and gives us more chance of getting into the press. Financial stability in football is made up of many different factors but getting people in the ground is one where all of us can pla an active role in. Perhspa the club would even be willing to sell the tickets at a discount for those who take part in this action? This "bring your friends cheap" system works very well in lower league football in the UK and maybe next year these new fans will be out buying tickets of their own and perhaps even for some friends as well.

4. Lets have an official meeting to discuss our sponsorship gaining ideas with the club so that we know what we can offer potential sponsors. One idea that I know from Southend United but that doesnt exist at TeBe is the possibility of smaller companies to sponsor individual players for a match, the name of the company appearing then in the programme under the players name and photo. For a small figure the company can chose the player and gets a mention. This allows smaller businesses to get involved, smaller businesses who can then publicise their support of the team adding to public awareness of the team and the players. We would have to discuss this with the club, how much it would cost and whether cheaper VIP tickets would perhaps be available to the companies for example. But the actually going to small businesses and asking if they are interested is something that we as fans could do on a personal level and much more suited to fans than phoning up or writing to big firms with letters that cannot name prices or offer deals.

So my conclusion:

Lets be patient with the club management. Perhaps their diplomacy isnt always the greatest (see thread tomorrow if I have time) but they are business people and know the situation. There are still things to be sorted with possible transfers and we shouldnt be jumping to conclusion based on press statements from people threatening to sue the club. The club said wait for a statement so lets wait and if the worst comes to the worst then lets use our contributions, contacts and skills wisely...

... but I am sure that donations are very much appreciated and although it seems a bit Union or Pauli to me and although I dont like the nature of the thread I also appreciate what fans are trying to do. I think that we should however consider how we spend wisely and see what we as fans can do better to help our club - this could be more efficient than merely throwing money at the club. Let us have a meeting and discuss ways how we can actively help the club, how we can envisage sponsor deals from small companies where we as fans will be more effective and lets get others (friends and family etc) into the stadium with our cash to support the team and spend their money and boost advertising. However we should think twice about actually mixing in with the team and the way it is run and keep the distance between us as fans and the players and the staff.

Even if you dont all agree, I hope that this text (at least for those who understand) brings about some discussion, thought and productive debate.

Purple White Greetings, Andy

Newcastle Deny Racism Charge

A strange incident indeed. From the BBC:

Roeder denies 'racism cover-up'

Roeder apologised, but insists it was not for racist comment
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has denied trying to cover up accusations of racial abuse by midfielder Emre, who faces a Football Association charge.

Roeder admits going into the Everton dressing room at the end of Newcastle's 3-0 defeat to apologise for an incident involving the Turkish midfielder.

But he said:"At no time did I make any apology for racist comments because Emre had told me what he had said.

"And while not being particularly pleasant, it was not racist."

I was doing the decent thing because I am sensitive to the image of the sport

Roeder added: "I strongly deny the allegations that I was involved in a racist cover-up in relation to events that occurred during our match with Everton.

"At the conclusion of the match, I went into the opposition dressing room to apologise for what had been an ugly incident on the pitch.

"I was doing the decent thing because I am sensitive to the image of the sport."

The FA has since charged Emre with "using racially aggravated abusive and/or insulting words" following the incident, which occurred after Newcastle had been awarded a penalty.

Emre became involved in angry exchanges with Everton trio Tim Howard, Joleon Lescott and Joseph Yobo, with players from both sides trying to calm frayed tempers.

Referee Dermot Gallagher consulted his assistant, but having not heard what was said he spoke to the former Inter Milan star, but took no further action.

Goodbye Basti

Deisler is quitting football because of his continual knee problems:

Germany and Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Deisler has announced his retirement from football at the age of 27 after a string of knee problems.

Deisler missed the 2006 World Cup after undergoing a fifth operation on his knee and he has also suffered from depression throughout his career.

"I no longer have any real faith in my knee. It's been an ordeal," he said.

"I can no longer play with the right level of enjoyment and I don't do anything by halves."....

....Deisler missed much of the 2003-04 season to have treatment for depression but looked to be in better mental shape and back to his best when he returned.

But another knee injury, which he suffered in training in 2006, ended his chances of playing in last year's World Cup and, although he made a handful of appearances this season, he decided it was time to quit.

"I don't understand his decision at all," said Bayern manager Uli Hoeness.

"If he feels in condition at some time in the future he can always come back."

Shame really as he was a great player to watch, one of the highlights of the German league in the rare moments he wasnt injured or down. Always seemed like a nice guy to me, even if he did play for Hertha BSC and do military service, appearing in the press in a German uniform.

Source BBC Sport

Another Cup Love?

TeBe men won the Berlin indoor tournament yesterday despite some top teams there and the ladies team also won the indoor tournament in Leipzig.



Source Berliner Fussball

From the Morgenpost today - finally some good publicity.

Siebenter Triumph von TeBe
Veilchen schlagen den BFC Preussen im Endspiel des Oberliga-Turniers

Kurz vor Ende des Vorrunden-Spiels gab es noch einmal Aufregung. Mit gestreckten Beinen war Türkiyemspors Maurice Jacobsen in Halil Savran hineingesprungen und hatte diesen übel zu Fall gebracht. Als Savran nach dem Abpfiff zum Kampfgericht bestellt wurde, verstand er die Welt nicht mehr. "Ich hab doch gar nichts gemacht", entfuhr es dem Türken von Tennis Borussia. Aufklärung gab es wenig später. Savran sollte nicht sanktioniert, sondern belohnt werden....

....Gestoppt wurde die Siegesserie des SSV erst im Halbfinale, das gegen TeBe 2:3 verloren ging.

Im Finale trafen die Veilchen dann auf den BFC Preussen, der sich zuvor 5:4 im Neunmeterschießen gegen den SV Yesilyurt behauptet hatte. Diesmal war es Savrans Mannschaftskollege Benjamin Griesert, der sich über T-Shirt und Gutschein freuen durfte. Grieserts Tor zum 1:0 war das 65. im Turnier und für ihn Auftakt zu einem gelungenen Endspiel. Mit seinem zweiten Treffer stellte er zwei Minuten vor dem Abpfiff den 3:2-Endstand her und sicherte den Charlottenburgern den insgesamt siebenten Triumph.

Even some indoor sceptics said that the football was first class and TeBe deserved winners.

Reports probably here soon or perhaps also here.

New Blog

The butch Butcher has a new blog here.

Great site, nice reports and cool photos - though what LWOB is wearing at the indoor tournament did slightly put me off my breakfast yesterday morning.

Welcome to the TeBe Blogging Army!

Winter Friendlies

Here the list as far as I know:

20.01 tebe - dresden-nord 11:00 uhr (kühler weg)
07.02 rathenow - tebe 18.00 uhr (stadion vogelsang)
10.02 sachsen leipzig - tebe 14:00 uhr (probably aks)

Here is one man who will be happy to see TeBe play in Leipzig - but which team will he support?

Some challenging matches there for us, apart from Leipzig. They do not have a chance!

Thanks Eberswalder Tennis Fan for the infos.

Are TeBe Finished?

A while back in a drunken moment of clarity, I managed to express my fears to Jim in the pub in a slurred but comprehensible manner: "If TeBe dont manage to go up this year, which I dont think they will anymore, then I dont think the club will really exist in the next few years. To be more precise, I think we will be gone in the next two years."

So it took me a few beers and a vodka or three to say it but say it I did. And what can we draw from this? After all nothing I said had any base in personal knowledge or public fact. It was just a feeling I had, a fear that many TeBe fans share at all times despite their optimism and Dr Jeckyll happy go lucky alterego that we have. It is almost as if this fear is part of being a TeBe fan, an essential characteristic that binds us together and despite never personally have experienced the bad old days as an actual fan of TeBe, this fear is within me too - burnt into me by stories of old and chats with other fans.

So knowing that this pessimistic streak exists, how can I then judge the situation and come to any conclusion? Answer: I cant, we cant - unless we hear the facts then it is all speculation and TeBe fans will, at least inside, fear the worst whether they dare admit it or not.

So lets look at the facts (or what has been reported as facts):

At the beginning of the season the club said it was very confident of going up this year.

We havent managed this - we are too far behind Babelsberg who can only be stopped by their own regional council's snail pace dealing with the floodlight issue.

We are third and even if Babelsberg muck up then Rostock could pull out the stops and invest in their second team to go for the promotion place.

It is unlikely that we will even bother applying for a permit for the next league up.

All season there have been rumours that not enough money is coming from sponsors.

Sure enough the club did a membership drive that indicated that they needed cash to cover costs.

We were knocked out of the Berlin cup and the DFB cup gave us a poor draw once again for getting a windfall.

Attendances have been good this season but a lot of free tickets were given away and the absence of many longer term fans is striking.

R.M. is on a kind of strike claiming that he hasnt been paid for 6 months. His brother has been allowed to go.

A few players have already left us and gone to other teams.

"Giga" came onto Lila Kanal and claimed that many players also havent been paid and that he had this information from an internal source. Admittedly one that he would not name.

The club is rumoured to have paid a high price for taking over the Casino catering facilities at the ground.

The Tagesspiegel reported that TeBe have a 6 figure sum that isnt covered as the sponsors only have to pay if TeBe are in the top spot.

The club website released a statement denying that sponsors have not paid and thanked the sponsors for their full support and contributions. All good but this statement disappeared from the club website a few hours later.

Peter A in an interview with the Tagesspiegel in the same article complained that other clubs get government support financially and started to talk about the virtues of plaing in the lower divisions! (not that our division is very high up anyways)

The talks with the club directorate and R.M. was on Monday, talks on the future of the club were on Wednesday night but there is still no statement from the club to be seen in the press or on the website. This means it is still unclear what the finances are or whether R.M. will have to sue the club to get his money back.

Vucko - I saw him on Tuesday night going to his car but unusually he didnt say hello though he may have been on the phone - is reported to be training and taking part in trials for Union. This is confirmed by a report in the Tagesspiegel too and an interview with him suggests that other players, especially those more pro R.M. may be all about to leave the club. He talks of 5 or 6 players.

Senior members of TeBe have been very vocal internally in their criticism of how the club is being run and where exactly TeBe are going.

Tennis Observer adds to the rumour mill today by claiming that Willy Kausch and Sebastian Schütz are doing everything possible to fill the hole in the finances that are estimated at a third of the outlay. The problem allegedly has been there for a few weeks and could explain the poor morale of the players on the pitch.

Most alarming is that there is still no statement (at least a lasting one) from the club - unusual when the rumour mill is putting them in the spotlight with such negative publicity.

But are there any positive signs?

Well O.Luv was as cool as a cucumber at the fan meeting the other day, giving nothing away but he was seemingly calm about the situation.

No news is good news and the statements from Peter A could be seen as fighting talk.

It is only natural that the club should get rid of some players to save if we arent going up and so perhaps there is no comment until things are sorted out officially with contracts and legal paperwork.

TeBe do have a vocal but loyal support and the membership drive must have brought in some sort of financial stability.

The team is playing its fixtures, has booked some interesting friendlies and has done very well in the indoor tournaments this winter so far.

The club does now run the Casino bar themselves which means the profits go to them for the beers we drink - now that must be a longterm winner for us.

So what to conclude? I really do not know but as a member of the club I do feel a bit anxious. Whether this anxiety is part of the TeBe fan psyche explained above or whether my fears are grounded or not I really cannot tell. Certainly the future looks bleak and everyday I am left waiting for a statement from the club, the more nervous I get.

TeBe In The Press

More rumours and stories today in the Tagesspiegel:

Berlin - Peter Antony schwebt eine „ruhige, saubere Trennung“ vor. Dass Fußball-Oberligist Tennis Borussia und sein Sportchef Ronald Maschke in Kürze ihre Zusammenarbeit beenden, ist längst beschlossene Sache. Nur das Wie muss noch abschließend geklärt werden. Maschke behauptet, „seit sechs Monaten ohne Bezahlung zu sein“, und Antony, der TeBe-Vorsitzende, gibt zu: „Wir stehen bei ihm noch in der Kreide.“ Die Einstellung eines neuen Sportchefs planen die Borussen nicht. Auch der Posten des vor kurzem entlassenen Kotrainers Marko Maschke, Bruder des Sportchefs, bleibt unbesetzt, Cheftrainer Dejan Raickovic muss künftig alleine zurechtkommen. Aber für Raickovic wird die Arbeit auch übersichtlicher, denn TeBe dünnt seinen Kader für die Rückrunde aus. Der Grund für den Personalabbau ist ein ganz einfacher: An allen Ecken und Enden fehlt das Geld.

It looks like R.Maschke is now 6 months without pay but Peter A says that there will be a clean break and admits the payment problems. Dejan may have to run the club alone and we are going to get rid of a few players because of a serious cash problem. The article goes on to claim that we are talking a 6 figure sum. Why?

TeBe kalkulierte für die laufende Saison mit einem Etat von 350 000 Euro. Die Verträge mit den Sponsoren haben nur einen Haken: Sie sind stark erfolgsabhängig. Aber die Mannschaft erfüllte die hohen Erwartungen nicht annähernd, dümpelte lange Zeit im Mittelfeld der Tabelle, und auch darunter, herum, ehe sie sich bis zur Winterpause allmählich aufrappelte und nun Platz drei belegt, allerdings bereits mit zwölf Punkten Abstand zu Spitzenreiter Babelsberg 03. Für einen Großteil der Sponsoren besteht nur dann Zahlungspflicht, wenn TeBe Tabellenerster ist. Eine etwas verwegene Etatplanung, die prompt dazu geführt hat, dass dem Verein jetzt bei Saison-Halbzeit eine sechsstellige Summe zur Deckung aller Kosten fehlt.

It seems that the club was so sure that they would be number 1 that the sponsors do not have to actually pay the money unless TeBe are going up, something that Babelsberg's amazing form has blown. According to the article Peter A complains that the other clubs in the league, especially those in Brandenburg, are getting government money to help them - something that TeBe are not.

Of course this is just press speculation and we are still waiting for the official statements from the club that will come tonight or tomorrow after the general meeting.

Interesting is the last part of the article:

Ohnehin ist TeBe das Oberligadasein langsam leid. In sentimentalen Momenten plagen Peter Antony auch schon mal Rückzugsgedanken. „Es macht keinen Spaß, wenn wir bei unseren Auswärtsspielen im Osten dauernd als Judenpack oder als Westberliner Scheiße angepöbelt werden. Da verliert man die Lust“, sagt er. „Vielleicht sollten wir uns besser in die Verbandsliga verabschieden.“

A translation from Peter A's statement would be approximately: "It is no fun, continually being insulted on away matches in the east as Jew pack or West Berlin shit. You give up the enthusiasm to carry on. Perhaps it would be better if we disappeared into the league below." This is the Verbandsliga and based in Berlin.

Of course life in the Verbandsliga may be a little more friendly at least but when the press are speculating that the club might be bankrupt the fact that Peter A is even mentioning the lower leagues gives many of us fans the fear.

And remember the lower leagues in Berlin may not be as rosy as Peter A might think. Anyone remember this?:

Berlin club protests about anti-Semitic abuse

Players of lower-league team Tus Makkabi walk off pitch after facing 'gas the Jews' and 'Auschwitz is back' chants

A Berlin lower-league club has complained to German soccer authorities about anti-Semitic chants that they faced at a recent match.

Players from Jewish club TuS Makkabi in the Berlin district league, five divisions below the Bundesliga, walked off the pitch in protest in the 78th minute of the match at VSG Altglienicke in east Berlin.

The statement from Makkabi can be found (in German) here.

Consider some of the chants the players were confronted with:

- "Synagogues must burn"

- "Führer , Führer , Führer, Führer"

- "Ausschwitz is back"

- "This isn't a Jew state, this isn't the German Jew Republic"

- "Gas the Jews"

- "JEWS, JEWS, JEWS"

- "The Federal Republic don't rule here, the NPD [neo-Nazi party] rule"

And for something totally nuts, while standing by the touchline, near the referee, and being abused by fans, a Makkabi player turned to the ref and said "Did you hear that?" The ref looked at him and said "No". Later, Makkabi player Vernen Liebermann, just before the game was abandoned, said to referee Brüning "If you have an ounce of decency for history in this country, then you must help us now". As a response, Brüning sent him off.

When you consider that TuS Makkabi is the only recognisable Jewish club, certainly in Berlin, and that the authorities did nothing or deliberately chose to turn a blind eye, this is scary, especially as it was a German 5th division away match in a pretty nasty part of Berlin. Those players really could have got badly hurt, no-one helped them at all, and they were forced to walk off themselves to make an issue of it.

Text from Jim at Ten German Bombers site here.

Casual Army News

3 Reports for casual football fans:

First a new idea to combat violence with "fair play"!

Secondly, Gary Bollocks is having a tough time at Chelsea so cry me a river.

Thirdly, for a very special casual, an article about the sexy silver foxes.

The Rumour Mill

According to this article from the Tagespiel, TeBe has gone from "no atmosphere, no fans" to "no coach, no players" - a worrying development for a football club:

Tennis Borussia: Die Mannschaft liegt als Drittplatzierter punktgleich mit dem Zweiten Hansa Rostock II zwölf Zähler hinter Tabellenführer Babelsberg 03. Derzeit ist jedoch unklar, mit welcher sportlichen Führung der Klub eine Aufholjagd angehen will. Kotrainer Marko Maschke wurde am 3. Januar schriftlich freigestellt. Sein Bruder, der Sportliche Leiter Ronald Maschke, befindet sich in einer Art Streik. „Ich bin noch im Amt. Ich habe meine Arbeit aber erst mal niedergelegt. Fünf Monatsgehälter sind noch offen“, sagt Ronald Maschke. „Am Montag treffe ich mich mit der Vereinsführung.“ Vorsitzender Peter Antony war für eine Stellungnahme nicht zu erreichen. „Offiziell sagen wir dazu noch nichts. Das ist ein arbeitsrechtlicher Vorgang. Am Mittwoch wird auf einer Vorstandssitzung darüber beraten“, sagt Vereinssprecher Hagen Liebing. Die Zeichen stehen eher auf Trennung. Auch Cheftrainer Dejan Raickovic kann sich seines Postens nicht sehr sicher sein.

Summary: Coach assistant Marko has been "let go", his brother is on a bit of a strike until he is paid. There should be a meeting today and on Wednesday the current situation will be reported to the management and a press statement may follow. Peter Antony isnt available for comment but the paper speculates that the whole coaching team could go.

Those with a weak sense of humour, please look away now!

Tebe Party Army asks: Have we seen the back of the coaching staff? GROAN!

Bad jokes aside, it seems that the only guy left in the coaching job is Dejan and I suspect that he may have to go as well because of the licence problem and the feeling that we need a clean slate now. Uli Krug speculates in FuWo this week:

Doch war die Arbeitsteilung beim Gespann Maschke/Raickovic vielleicht etwas anders als üblich? Böse Zungen munkeln, dass in Wirklichkeit Marko MAschke die ENtscheidungen träfe, die der ehemalige Publikumsliebling Dejan Raickovic zu vertreten habe. Ein Gerücht, das auch dadurch Nahrung fand, dass Maschkes älterer Bruder Ronny zugleich die Funktion des Sportdirektors bei TeBe ausübte. Diese Tätigkeit hat Ronny Mitte der Woche nach seinen Worten "eingestellt", mit der einleuchtenden Begründung, dass TeBe ihm fünf Monatsgehälter schuldig sei.

When heads begin to roll then they usually go together. We will have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday for the exact news it seems. Lets hope the contracts and payments all get sorted out with a degree of dignity. The fact that Peter Antony is unavailable for comment is a good sign in that direction I guess.

Thanks to Tennis Observer for the FuWo quote.

Hall Ball Time

Yes its the silly season again - Winter break and indoor football cups to be won.

And TeBe did quite well the other day in exactly one of those cups, in Wittenberg I believe. This top event, sponsored by a local bank and in a sweaty sports hall, was an international affair, the town sponsoring the petrol money for their partner town in the far far east (Hungary) to come and play.

Group A

TeBe - Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 4:1
Rot-Weiß Kemberg - SG Trebitz 2:3
TeBe - SG Trebitz 5:1
Rot-Weiß Kemberg - Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 0:3
TeBe - Rot-Weiß Kemberg 3:1
SG Trebitz - Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 0:5

1. Tennis Borussia 12:3 9 Pts
2. Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 9:4 6 Pts
3. SG Trebitz 3:13 3 Pts
4. Rot-Weiß Kemberg 3:9 4 Pts

Group B

Cottbus II - Békéscsaba 6:1
Einheit Wittenberg - Blau-Rot Coswig 4:0
Cottbus II - Einheit Wittenberg 1:1
Békéscsaba - Blau-Rot Coswig 3:4
Cottbus II - Blau-Rot Coswig 2:1
Békéscsaba - Einheit Wittenberg 2:2

1. Energie Cottbus II 9:3 7 Pts
2. Einheit Wittenberg 7:3 5 Pts
3. Blau-Rot Coswig 5:9 3 Pts
4. Jamina SE Békéscsaba 6:13 1 Pts

Semi-finals

TeBe - Einheit Wittenberg 4:0
Cottbus II - Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 5:2

Runners Up

Einheit Wittenberg - Grün-Weiß Piesteritz 1:4

Final

TeBe - Cottbus II 3:3 4:6 (after extra time and penalties!)

And who missed their penalty?......

Well done Jens, it only happens to the finest: You can now officially play for England. Dont despair though, its a cult status to do so well and nearly win. Hope to see you again still in a TeBe shirt next month on the real pitch.

Our goalscorers were:
Savran (8) Griesert (4), Aykut (4), Kadow (2) and Below.

Well done TeBe and thanks to the Eberswalder Tennis Fan for this amazingly detailed report that is sadly only in German - great reading.

Transfer Madness

From BBC Sport:

Bayern Munich will consider selling Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United - but not for less than £20m.

Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer told German newspaper Bild that if an offer of that size was tabled "we would have to think about it".

Beckenbauer added: "That is a figure that would allow us to be active in the transfer market."

Hargreaves has just been told that he is not ready to return to full training as he recovers from a broken leg.

The 25-year-old sustained the injury in a league match against Arminia Bielefeld in September and had hoped to return in January.

20 million squid, 30 million Euros for an injured Hargreaves! Worth every penny.

Have The Marx Brothers Gone?

According to the newspapers yesterday, the Marx brothers seem to have left TeBe. One isnt going to lift a finger until he gets his pay for the previous 5 months and the other has been put on "holiday". As far as I know there has still been no official statement from the club and with the indoor tournaments on the go, many still on holiday and the like it might still be a few days yet.

The two arrived a few years ago seemingly unannounced and worked firstly with Theo Gries and then under Dejan with the role of assisting the training of the players and helping to build up the team. They had previously made a name for themselves at Hertha BSC and this lead to some rather idiotic conspiracy theories among some sections of the fans that they were trying to turn TeBe into a Hertha academy, that they were responsible for introducing deposits on beer cans and that the had killed off most of the Ramones as hit men.

But even among the TeBe fans who take their regular medication the Marx brothers didnt find it easy. Psuedo-intellectual, somewhat alternative and proudly different football fans were never going to make life easy for 2 down to earth football guys who spoke their mind, liked their beers and seemed to wear tracksuits 24/7 and not see anything strange about that. And this was just the difficulty they had in Block E, the pensioners of course hate everyone and can do anybody's job better.

But for all the unfair criticism they received, it is perhaps fair to say that the time is right for them to go.

Firstly they were presumably taken on because of the experience in Berlin football, but the betting scandals that arose (N.B. NO connection to them) among many players who were seemingly willing to play badly for a weekend or two for some extra cash, lead to the club moving more towards the development of some of their younger talent into the first team as well as branching out further afield to players from abroad looking to make their mark in Germany and start a career. The two probably played a significant role in the selecting and training of players such as Ryan, Vucko and Perez, but a team that is no longer basing its selection and future on Berlin football probably does not need two men who had made their name and based their experience in this field.

Secondly the feelings in the team never seemed to be stable for those watching them play week in and week out. Not only do TeBe still not seem to have a set squad but there were also more blatant signs of dissatisfaction: Ritter coming and then going, Mansour getting into a fight at training and some very poor performances that just were not what was expected. Rumours from some players suggested that the 3 men in charge (Marx brothers and Dejan) was leading to confused signals in training and on the pitch. Even in the last few weeks it hasnt been clear at all what TeBe is trying to do with its players and aims now with rumours of goings and very little comings a constant theme in the press to the disappointment of the majority of fans.

Thirdly and from our perspective most importantly, the public aims of TeBe to continue to play well in the cup and to gain promotion this season was over this year by Christmas. The league was realistically over after about 10 matches (third of the season!) and the defeat in an easy draw in the cup lead to a season that can only be described as a disaster. All the good work in publicity and recruiting new fans and sponsors will really be put on the line now as despite the improvement that the trainers have brought to get out out of the relegation battle of last year and in the cup final, the fact is that this year we have nothing left to play for: We arent going up, we arent going down and we cant win the cup. Meaningless matches in the Oberliga dont sell tickets or gain sponsors and if the winter comes late again we could be competing for viewers with the likes of Bayern, Chelsea and Barcelona on Tuesday and Wednesday night fixtures with the Champion's League on TV. TeBe are in a mini crisis and the buck might not stop at them alone but their jobs seem to be on the line as the aims have not been met.

Many fans also feel that the club is going in the wrong direction again and that it is time more generally for some change. The added tensions within the fan scene have also not helped and the LK has become rather bitchy of late. The hiring of a stripper for the Christmas party and the invitation of the press came as a shock for a lot of fans who wanted publicity for their team, but not that sort and certainly not a few days before the women's team were playing their most important match of the season in the latter stages of the cup. The Marx brothers have become easy scapegoats for a lot of disappointment and frustration, even if their departure would be a reasonable outcome of the club's present crisis in any situation.

To be honest I find most of the feelings against the two of them to be petty and without foundation. Perhaps not the kind of guys that I would spend an evening in a pub with but over a beer they were always down to earth, friendly and enthusiastic for the team and although aware of some of the feelings and suspicions against them because of their BSC background, they didnt seem to mind, in fact even enjoyed, the alternative and tolerant atmosphere and reputation that TeBe holds dear. I wish them both all the best in the future and thank them for their work at the club, especially for the obvious and striking changes that have allowed us to watch a more interesting passing game and some beautiful football at times - changes that they obviously played a large part in.

Apart from the problems mentioned above (nothing left to play for, aims not met, players going etc) two other factors are rather worrying. Firstly the claim that they have not been paid for 5 months will open questions on the financial stability of the club. If, as the press says, they have sought legal advice on the matter the club seems to have a court case on its hands but whether the facts point towards their case or that of TeBe such rumours will not make it easy for TeBe to get new players or a replacement traing team. This is the second problem of course, because as far as I understand, Dejan does not have the suitable training qualifications to go it alone now and his head may be the next to roll as if money is short, the club probably will not be splashing out for two trainers, one without a license, but probaly use this opportunity for an overhaul.

The next 6 months could be a bleak time for all those with a purple white heart.

Picture source from this great website.

The above information is correct to my knowledge. In event of any mistakes or inaccuracies please let me know and i will gladly correct the above post.

General Football Stuff

Some articles in German:

Ballack is complaining about Bayern and their transfer policy. Could get messy.

Rudi says that the Premiership is the best league in Europe: the measuring stick.


Montella joins Fulham (for Sir PP Alex) from Rome on loan.

The "Torgauer" village newspaper gets excited that the German National Team Bus is in town. Well its being used again by TeBe - most notably it was used as we lost in Rostock.

The loser bus in Rostock

Kollmorgen has officially left TeBe.

The annual "team gets naked to raise money" calendar is out this year and the publicity goes to the women's team at 1 FC Saarbruecken.

At the end of the month in Berlin there will be a special discussion evening on homosexuality and football for those with a Turkish background. I posted the details here on the ADF forum with a collection of articles on the subject. Got any more? Post them please.

The Rumour Mill

Well Perez has definitely gone, flown back to South America it seems.

Rumours are that Nwankwo has been sacked, Kollmorgen is off, and Vuckovic has been linked with Union. On a personally sad note, Thompson may be off back to Canada but I havent heard anything 100% yet. Also alarming is the rumour that Thiam may be offered a training trial with Jena.

Hardly surprising conidering Thiam is probably the best defender in the league. In fact when the club claimed that they will be building up a team for next season around Thiam and Fuss, Jim Hancot and I were rather amazed about the confidence of TeBe that they will be able to keep these two players. They are both Regional League quality and TeBe cant offer them that for a while yet.

The prospect of Thiam leaving is such a disappointment that David immediately opened this thread on the LK. General feeling is that we cant afford to lose him.

New Blog From A Good Man

Milli has started his own blog dealing with football concerts and politics in the Leipzig area, here:

Hallo Fußballfans, hier geht es um Fußball und Partys im Leipziger Raum. Neben Chemie mit seinen Ablegern Roter Stern, RB Chemie und TuS Leutzsch stehen hochkarätige Veranstaltungen kultureller Art im Blickfeld des Blogbetreibers.

One of the good men in Leipzig, he might be interested in this article:

LEIPZIG, Germany - The phone call two weeks ago reached D. at a cafe in Conne Island, the center of the pro-Israel radical left in Leipzig. On the line was a correspondent from a local radio station asking the 24-year-old if members of the club were aware that at that very moment a neo-fascist parade was being held on the other side of town.

"Do you realize what they did," D. said angrily last weekend. "The neo-Nazis and the municipality concealed it from us and called it 'a protest against the deployment of the German army around the world,' but basically it was an anti-Zionist rally. They shouted 'we won't shed our blood for Israel,' after troops were deployed in Lebanon."

Within an hour, D. and his friends were able to organize 200 young people, most of them non-Jews, to stream into the neighborhood where the parade was taking place to confront the neo-Nazi demonstrators. This is what the anti-fascist left does at nearly every rally, parade or gathering of the extreme right across Germany. But the German police force was prepared and identified the young protesters and prevented them from disrupting the rally.

Happy New Year to the good men and women of Leipzig, whether football fans or not - See you all in a few weeks I guess!

Photo Not So Love Story: Hansa II

Strange year for Hansa II, 2006.

A generally nice place to go for an away trip with its quaint entrance area through the woods....



.... its close up view of the pitch....




.... the voyeuristic "blick" into the dugouts....



.... the overview from the bank....



.... the friendly (if a little slow) beer stand and tables with tasty food....



.... and surrounded by the sports facilities of the old east on one side .....



.... and the modern new facilities on the other side....



.... but the year had been controversial. The team had drawn a home tie against Schalke in the cup this season and Asamoah, S04 and Germany's star forward, was greeted the whole match with monkey noises because Asamoah is black. The 2nd team were fined 20,000 Euros and although this sent out a good signal, cynics took the view that this sort of thing sadly goes on unnoticed all the time in German football and on a different day, with a different player and without the publicity then these events get swept under the carpet.

Now I have never personally had any trouble at Rostock II before. With the big draw in the cup a lot of fans came along to the match that arent usually there for the Oberliga division 4 matches against us. Usually the crowd are a mixture of young fanatics, parents with kids, pensioners, fellow players and the odd student or two. There is a noice sense of humour there and a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.... shame nobody told the security guys:

- Any attempt to go over the first barrier (still a barrier and a bit away from the pitch) to take photos were "not allowed"

- One fan was not allowed in to the match for being too drunk. A fair enough reason perhaps but the bullshit excuse of personal safety was given where he was certainly much safer with us than wandering around alone outside in the Rostock woods.

- At the end the security even tried to stop the players shaking hands with the fans, well tried to stop the fans going to shake hands with the players before the players tried to come to us and then were hindered by the security.

- But remembering the scandal that Hansa II got themselves into this season with the racism charge, the most amazing development of the day was that the following banner was not allowed to be hung up in the stadium!



Most ironic was the silly excuse given, an excuse that we all knew to be big bullshit especially as we have taken the same banner there before in the past.

The event left a more bitter after-taste a few days later when the following banner was to be seen at the stadium opening festival and match at Magdeburg:




Translation: Every system can be switched off - National Socialism

Source 11 Freunde and tip: Endi

As you can see from the photo from Rostock, we held the banner up at the end anyways but the love affair I had with Hansa II has taken a bitter blow with the events of 2006 - then of course there was the score!

For the match report scroll down to Jim's entry!