This week it appeared their dogged defiance had paid off after the German football league, DFL, which runs the Bundesliga, dropped plans to sell an estimated €1bn (£850m) stake in its media rights income to a private equity firm. The league's board said it would not go ahead with the deal in the hope of ending the protests, which have disrupted almost every game in the top two male divisions of German football since the start of the year.
The stunts have led to lengthy delays and even match cancellations, which bosses said threatened the integrity of German football. For fans, though, they were a winning game plan that pulled off an unlikely victory.
Comparing the struggle to that of David and Goliath, the fan group Unsere Kurve (Our Stands) celebrated the decision and said: "Ultimately the key to this success were these comprehensive and very peaceful and creative protests." Last Saturday, masked football fans from Hansa Rostock jumped over advertising barriers during a match against Hamburger SV, placed two toy cars on the pitch and steered them via remote control over the grass, with attached flares spewing out white and blue smoke, the Hansa colours.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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