RB Leipzig Ultras: the great contradiction of German football



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“There’s an ultra, very active scene, and they’re pretty progressive on things like homophobia and racism,” he said, issues that unite ultra factions. “But as far as I know, they’re not part of the larger fan organizations. They are not connected because they are not really accepted. “

Mucki acknowledges that for many he is an impossible contradiction: someone who could be considered an ultra RB Leipzig. The emotions generated by the team’s victory are real, but his relationship with his club is complicated, superimposed. “The bond I have with the team is a love-hate story,” he said.

Mucki and his colleagues are of course aware of how their team is viewed by their peers across the country. Although he was quick to point out that “only a few clubs are not global companies” – even Dortmund have sold the naming rights to their stadium – he is not hiding behind accusations of hypocrisy. “I understand their arguments,” he said. “But it’s easy to point out these things. We are trying to change them. “

They have had some success. He believes the Red Aces have played a vital role in helping the club foster an “open-minded and tolerant” environment that has expressed support for refugees and staged protests against Pegida, the Islamophobic group that initially took over. importance in Dresden before spreading throughout Germany.

Earlier this year, however, Red Aces was disbanded. In part, Mucki said, its members were “tired” not of the hostility from outside but of the resistance from the club itself. “They want an organized fan culture, but they don’t want it to be critical,” he said. “They want us to be involved in some processes – we’ve been asked to give our perspective on the stadium redesign – but on others they’ve tried to hold us back.

This was a particular problem with regard not only to pyrotechnics – the club, he said, issued statements condemning the fireworks “in minutes” – but anything that could be considered political. . Oliver Mintzlaff, head of football at Red Bull, has said publicly that he does not believe that sport and politics have to mix, an idea which is anathema to organized fan scenes in Germany.

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