March 2 – Bayern Munich, flying high both domestically and in Europe, have had to issue an apology after their fans shamed the club by displaying an insulting banner at Hoffenheim that led to a protest by players on both sides taking matters into their own hands by refusing to play on and simply swapped passes with each other for the last 13 minutes.
The match at the weekend was at risk of being cut short when Bayern fans displayed the banner insulting Hoffenheim investor Dietmar Hopp in the 79th minute. ‘Du Hurensohn’, read the banner, which translated is ‘You son of a whore’.
The referee ordered the teams off the pitch as some Bayern players, as well as the entire club leadership, urged fans to take down the banner immediately warning the game would be abandoned if the banner appeared again.
After a 20-minute delay the teams came back on to the pitch but ran down the clock without playing competitively, kicking the ball between themselves in a bizarre conclusion to proceedings.
“I am deeply ashamed of these troublemakers. The moment has come today at the latest when the whole Bundesliga has to deal with them. We all have to stand together,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after their 6-0 win.
“We have closed our eyes to what happens in the stands for too long. This is the hateful face of football.”
At the final whistle, 79-year-old Hopp, Rummenigge and the players stood on the pitch and applauded Hoffenheim fans in a show of solidarity
Hopp, co-founder of the SAP software giant, has long been unpopular among rival fans for bankrolling Hoffenheim’s rise from the obscurity of the 5th tier to the Bundesliga, and for his opposition to the league’s 50+1 rule, which protects clubs from takeovers by individual owners.
He was granted an exception in 2015 due to his longstanding support of the club but Bayern’s fans are not the only ones show their feelings. A week ago a similar banner from Borussia Monchengladbach fans saw their Bundesliga game delayed while Borussia Dortmund followers were banned from away games against Hoffenheim for the next two seasons.
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