Bundesliga
Fans are demanding simultaneous fixtures at the end of the season
Wolfsburg fans protest with posters against the fragmentation of the game days. photo
© Patrick Seeger/dpa
Soccer supporters see the fan culture as disturbed and miss fair sporting competition in the season finale. For them there is only one solution.
The fan organization “Unsere KURK” has criticized the fragmentation of the last two matchdays in the German soccer leagues and called for a return to the simultaneous kick-off in the season finale.
“Immediate, direct and fair competition can only be guaranteed at this stage of the season for simultaneous games at a kick-off time that applies to all,” the organization wrote in a statement. Here the sport wins and tactical considerations have to take a back seat. “A dismembered penultimate match day damages this pure and unmistakable idea of the sport,” it said.
reason for the equalization
In addition to the sporting aspects, the supporters justify their demand with the effects on the fan culture. In the past, you had planning security for a home and away game at the end of the season. The end of the season has always had a special meaning for fans.
“Special trains are planned before the winter break, fan meetings need to be organized and even the small fan club wants to make the pub a permanent fixture. This special willingness, this fan culture, characterizes the final days of the season and cannot be replaced by TV money,” wrote “Our curve”.
The reason for the equalization of the 33rd match day is the TV marketing. More broadcast dates through different schedules bring in more money. For example, the rights partner DAZN has additional games on Friday and Sunday on the 33rd matchday. The German Football League (DFL) had already announced the regulation in the 2020 tender.
Since last season and until at least 2024/25: The 33rd matchday works like all the others, the games are divided between the seasons from Friday to Sunday. Only on the 34th match day will nine games be played at the same time on Saturday at 3.30 p.m. in order to minimize the risk of manipulation. In other European leagues, the penultimate matchday had been equalized for much longer.