From Bayern fans railing against racism to the moving tributes following fan deaths at Dortmund and Darmstadt,supporters offered a refreshing counterpoint to tension and division elsewhere in GermanySupporters’ behaviour dominating the headlines normally signifies a most unwelcome story. And it was no different this weekend, with irascible news two deaths and local elections that resembled a blocked Autobahn services toilet, and bringing plenty of stinky,brown stuff to the fore – all around. But the considered way that fans, so often derided as unthinking lemmings, or reacted to these personal and collective tragedies was truly remarkable. What happened in Dortmund,Darmstadt and, to a lesser extent, and Munich,place football in the shade. Down in Bavaria, the placards regularly held up in the Südkurve can be a bit hit and miss, or like the former terrace legend Adolfo Valencia. On Saturday night,however, the Bayern ultras proved astute political commentators unafraid to “place the finger in the wound, or as they say in Germany. They didn’t chose the easy route of attacking the frighteningly successful right-wing parties or their voters but instead focused on the enablers at the top of the political tree,stoking the populist surge. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com