"Tolerance, cosmopolitanism" and "fairness": With these words the Chemnitzer FC set in the first home game after the scandal scandal against right-wing extremism. Two weeks ago, before the regional league game against Altglienicke, there was a mourning announcement for the deceased neo-Nazi Thomas Haller. Advertising boards, posters, stickers and T-shirts were printed with these words. Before the game against Budissa Bautzen, both teams presented a banner together: "Together for democratic values and fair play".
The only goal in the 1-0 (0-0) success of Chemnitz scored Daniel Frahn. The attacker held up a T-shirt two weeks ago in the home game against Altglienicke with the words "Support your local hooligans" (support your local hooligans). For the action Frahn was blocked by the Sports Court of the Northeast German Football Association (NOFV) for two games.
Although several hundred spectators demonstrated with a boycott against the club leadership, because this had separated after the scandal of three long-time employees, DFB Vice President Rainer Koch was satisfied with the sign against radicalism. "A clear majority of the fans took up this position," he said when visiting the stadium.
Harry Haertel / DPA
The protests of the Chemnitz fans were directed against the club's leadership.
Public letter of the crew
Already on Thursday the team had appealed in an open letter: "It is time to confess color and to show that Chemnitz is sky blue and not brown!" Although the team does not get everything in the cabin, they have certainly experienced "how the view of the club and of us players has changed," reads the letter published on the website of Chemnitzer FC.
The players would have received news asking them "what kind of Nazi club" would they play for. In the letter, the team called to show in the home game against Bautzen, "how liveable and colorful our city is."