Berlin (AFP)
Duel of fireworks, scuffles and three injured! The first Berlin derby between the Union and Hertha in November was hot in the stands. The return Friday (8:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. GMT) behind closed doors, in the silence of the gigantic Olympic stadium, will have a completely different tone.
For the first time since the Union's accession to the Bundesliga, the ultras on both sides had not skimped: the referee had to interrupt the game more than six minutes after the triggering of hundreds of pyrotechnic devices, in the small and picturesque Alte Försterei stadium ("La Veille Maison Forestière").
At the end of the match, supporters of the Hertha had responded to the provocations by firing fireworks rockets towards the benches and the stands of the Union. Police arrested 25 people involved in fights. The Union finally won 1-0, on penalty in the 87th minute.
"We haven't forgotten about this Alte Försterei outing," said Hertha manager Michael Preetz, "it was a dark day. Now we have a chance to make it all go away."
"The conditions are completely different, it's another derby," added Hertha coach Bruno Labbadia, who was not on duty in November.
- "Big City Club" -
Another football too! In the time of the coronavirus, it is no longer the behavior of the fans that authorities and the media will scrutinize, but that of the players, to check whether they respect the safety distances during the celebrations of the goals ...
For the resumption of the Bundesliga last weekend, Hertha was under the fire of critics because his Belgian striker Dedryck Boyata had kissed on the cheek his teammate Marko Grujic, after the first of their three goals in away from Hoffenheim (3-0). A few days earlier, Salomon Kalou had been suspended by the club for having broadcast a video where he was seen shaking the hands of his teammates in the locker room.
The German League has not sanctioned, but it insists on the exemplary duty of the stars of the championship. The objective: to spread the right message at a time when social distancing measures are still in force in the country.
In the standings, the two clubs are neck and neck in the middle of the table, the Hertha 11th with 31 points and the Union 12th at one length. But if the Union smiles, the Hertha looks gray.
After a difficult start in August-September for its first steps in the first division, the Union has found its rhythm and seems in a position to ensure its maintenance, despite the 2-0 home defeat last Sunday against Bayern Munich.
At Hertha, on the other hand, where the leaders aim to position themselves as a "Big City Club", the season has been a nightmare. Labbadia is the fourth coach to take a seat on the bench since August. And the disastrous episode Jürgen Klinsmann has left its mark. Recruited at the end of November to take the club to a level, the former national coach slammed the door 76 days after his arrival, accusing his leaders of not giving him enough autonomy.
© 2020 AFP