Champions League
Spectators are surprised: That’s why the Gladbach anthem suddenly ran on Anfield Road
Liverpool FC fans have a long-standing friendship with Borussia Mönchengladbach
© MI News / Picture Alliance
During the break in the Champions League quarter-finals, the anthem of Borussia Mönchengladbach was played at Liverpool FC. What amazed many television viewers is actually nothing unusual.
Borussia Mönchengladbach has nothing to do with the Champions League this season. The “foals” had not qualified for the premier class and are currently struggling in the Bundesliga not to slip close to the relegation zone. And yet Gladbach was present in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
During the half-time break in the second leg between Liverpool FC and Benfica Lisbon, the Gladbach club anthem played over the loudspeakers in the stadium on Anfield Road. Where one would otherwise expect “You’ll never walk alone”, suddenly “Die Elf vom Niederrhein” could be heard – to the astonishment of many television viewers. What was the music selection at the Reds Stadium all about?
Champions League: Gladbach’s anthem is played in the Liverpool Stadium
Many observers puzzled over it, most believed in a mistake in the stadium management. However, long-established fans and stadium-goers of Liverpool FC should not have been surprised by the soundtrack. On Anfield Road, the anthem of Borussia from Gladbach is actually played again and again before the games or during the half-time break.
The background is a fan friendship that has connected the supporters of FC Liverpool and Borussia Mönchengladbach for many years. A loose connection had already developed after the two clubs met in the Uefa Cup final in 1973 and in the final of the National Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1977. However, a tragic event turned this into a real friendship: the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Fan friendship between Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Liverpool
Back then, 96 Liverpool fans were killed in a stampede at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. They were crushed in the crowd because the police had allowed spectators to flow unchecked into two fan blocks. Another victim died years later as a result of the injuries. The Hillsborough disaster is still considered one of the worst accidents in football history.
Back then, Gladbach fans started a fundraiser and collected more than 20,000 Deutschmarks. The check was handed over in 1991. Since then, there has been a close relationship between the two clubs’ fan groups, which still continues. This also explains why the Gladbach anthem was played in the quarter-final second leg against Benfica (Liverpool advanced with a 3-3 draw): Friday marks the 33rd anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.
Source: “Rheinische Post” / DAZN
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