Conflict with Dietmar Hopp, Super League plans, turbulent annual general meeting, return to the south curve after a long absence, tenth championship title in a row: in an interview with SPOX and GOAL, Alexander Salzweger reviews the turbulent past few months. Salzweger is spokesman for Club Nr. 12, the association of active fans of FC Bayern Munich.
Mr. Salzweger, in the past few weeks, normality has returned to German stadiums for the first time since the pandemic began. What has changed in the southern curve of Munich?
Alexander Salzweger: Surprisingly little. The only real difference from before is the corona tests. As Club No. 12, we recommend getting tested before every game. Some ultra groups are even more explicit about this and expect that. Especially from members who have had contact with positive people. Hardly anyone has a problem with that. There is a much higher level of sensitivity and personal responsibility on the subject than I would have expected.
Do you experience any worsening or repression when visiting the stadium that did not exist before the pandemic?
Salzweger: no One cannot complain about the ticket prices for FC Bayern, especially the annual tickets are very affordable. In the meantime there was an obligation to personalize tickets, but this has now been lifted.
Has the FC Bayern fan scene shrunk due to the pandemic?
Salzweger: Of the 500 to 600 active fans in the hard core, maybe two or three people are no longer with us. For most of them, Bavaria was and is the whole purpose of life and the fan scene is the permanent circle of friends. I can imagine that in the near future we will be attracted by fans who were too young before the pandemic and want to get involved now.
How did you experience the atmosphere during the first games at full capacity in the Allianz Arena?
Salzweger: At times the mood was really strong against Dortmund, and even better against Villarreal. Against Augsburg, on the other hand, it was a disaster. Unfortunately, we had a lot of spontaneous cancellations due to positive corona tests. The mood here is by no means worse than before the pandemic.
At the home game against Villarreal there was a choreography in honor of Gerd Müller, who died last August. When did the planning for this start?
Salzweger: After his death we quickly decided to do something. The motif was clear months in advance and the material had already been ordered. But we definitely wanted to show the choreo at a big game with full capacity. We agreed on the home game against Villarreal about four weeks in advance.
Could you understand the viewer restrictions of the past few months?
Salzweger: We had different opinions on this. On the whole, however, we agreed with the measures. Some of us would even still find viewer restrictions understandable. What bothered us, on the other hand, was the inconsistent action of the authorities. For example in comparison between culture and sport and between different locations.
How intensive was the exchange within the fan scene during the viewer restrictions?
Salzweger: We organize charitable campaigns twice a year, for which a lot has to be planned in advance. There were regular online meetings in this regard. In addition, the different groups have always met in person in small circles. Of course there was also a lot of talk about defining issues like last spring’s Super League.
How was it dealt with?
Salzweger: At that time we immediately got in touch with the other big fan scenes in Germany, especially with the Dortmunders. We discussed with them three or four evenings in a row how to proceed. At the end there was a joint press release. We would have liked to have done something in the stadium, but unfortunately no spectators were allowed at the time.
Is such a quick, intensive exchange with other fan scenes like Dortmund the norm?
Salzweger: We’ve known each other for years. Especially with the Dortmunders the exchange is rather unproblematic, unlike perhaps with the Nurembergers or Sechzgeren. But even with them there have been joint actions. In general, the communication between the fan scenes in bombs like the Super League is exemplary. Not only did we experience that there, but also during the discussions about the 3:30 p.m. kick-off time and the handling of fan materials such as megaphones in stadiums a few years ago.
