The recent slew of fan protests have continued to disrupt Bundesliga games, with several matches on Saturday afternoon being impacted. The only game that managed to proceed uninterrupted due to the fan actions taking place in the stands was the match between Bayer Leverkusen, the current league leaders, and the recently promoted team, 1. FC Heidenheim. Leverkusen emerged victorious with a score of 2-1 (1-0), thereby temporarily extended their lead over their closest competitors, FC Bayern Munich, to eight points. Impressively, this marked the 32nd consecutive time that Leverkusen remained undefeated across all competitions. This is a feat that equals the record previously set by FC Bayern.
The Munich team is set to play against VfL Bochum on Sunday (5:30 p.m./DAZN). In another match, Borussia Dortmund experienced a setback in their battle for the Champions League spots, drawing 1-1 (1-0) at VfL Wolfsburg. Conversely, VfB Stuttgart demonstrated their strength in their 2-1 (1-0) victory against SV Darmstadt 98, who are currently at the bottom of the league. FSV Mainz 05 marked a successful start for their new coach, Bo Henriksen, with a 1-0 (1-0) win against FC Augsburg. The evening game saw RB Leipzig defeat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 (1-0), courtesy of goals scored by Xavi Simons (14th) and Lois Openda (57th).
The match between 1. FC Union Berlin and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim ended with a 1-0 (0-0) win for Berlin, thanks to a late goal by Brenden Aaronson in the 84th minute. Both teams were reduced in numbers by the end of the game due to yellow-red cards being issued against Stanley Nsoki (45th+3) and Union’s Kevin Volland (45th+6).
Two games were on the brink of cancellation
Protests by supporters led to disruptions in four stadiums, with the games in Mainz and Hoffenheim nearly being cancelled. The respective referees had to send the teams to the locker room. However, the games resumed after the break. The fans expressed their dissatisfaction by throwing tennis balls onto the field, chanting insults towards the German Football League, and displaying numerous protest posters.
The German Football League (DFL) plans to raise one billion euros from a financial investor by selling a stake in the TV revenue. When the 36 professional clubs had to vote on this deal, the necessary two-thirds majority was only barely achieved. As a result, fans have been protesting in the stadiums for weeks. These protests mainly involve throwing objects onto the field, which frequently leads to games being interrupted.
In the Leverkusen match, the goals were scored by Jeremie Frimpong (45th minute+2) and Amine Adli (81st). Despite a goal from Tim Kleindienst (87th), Heidenheim couldn’t snatch a win. Dortmund took an early lead in the game against Wolfsburg, thanks to the national player Niclas Füllkrug’s eleventh goal of the season (8th). However, Yannick Gerhardt (64th) managed to score an equalizer for Wolfsburg.
The match between Stuttgart and Darmstadt was quite eventful from the outset. Stuttgart went ahead early with a goal from striker Serhou Guirassy (14th). VfB’s Pascal Stenzel was shown a yellow-red card during the 25-minute stoppage time (44th + 22nd). Mahmoud Dahoud (90+2) extended Stuttgart’s lead to 2-0 before Aaron Seydel (90+5) managed to score for Darmstadt, reducing the deficit.
In the match with Mainz, defender Sepp van den Berg scored an early goal (44′), which proved to be a great start for their new coach Henriksen. Despite Nadiem Amiri’s missed penalty (45+7), Mainz managed to hold on to their lead. Towards the end of the match, Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen was shown a red card for a serious foul (90+12).
