It could all be so beautiful, after all, Garching’s football clubs are looking into a bright future: The stadium on the lake will be renovated in the coming years for almost 4.5 million euros, including a new grandstand roof, new floodlights and finally club rooms for Türk Sport, the smaller club next to the long-established VfR Garching. But now cloudy clouds have risen over the sports complex on the A 9: A serious conflict between the two clubs is affecting the mood.
The reason for the smoldering argument, which now also has a legal dimension, is the incidents at the district class derby between Türk Sport and the second VfR team on November 21st. Towards the end of the game there is said to have been a racist insult by a VfR player in the direction of the Türk-Sport-Bank. The referee then abandoned the game that was already in stoppage time.
Garching’s mayor Dieter Gruchmann wants to mediate between the clubs.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
The incident has now drawn circles far beyond the football field and also reached city politics. At the recent public question time in the city council, a Garching native expressed concern about the impact. Some young people from the VfR have concerns about training on the facility at the same time as the neighboring club. A club member was even approached because of his VfR jacket. Mayor Dietmar Gruchmann (SPD) was also concerned. He has already tried to mediate in talks with the two club chairmen and to organize a meeting, but without success. “That is a very, very shame, because it can be assumed that it will burden inner-city life beyond the sport,” said Gruchmann. The city will remain neutral in the conflict and want to ensure for both clubs that training on the sports facility is still possible. City councilor Daniela Rieth (Greens), trained mediator, offered her support to deal with the conflict.
That is also the aim of Claudio Cumani, the chairman of the city’s integration advisory council, who has been dealing “very intensively” with the matter since the incidents two weeks ago. This is “delicate and sensitive,” says Cumani. He is also in contact with the city administration and the mayor as well as representatives of the Bavarian Football Association (BFV). “Looking to the future is important to me, we have to set a good example for the young footballers. If we don’t resolve this conflict, we will all have lost,” said Cumani. Statements that the Munich BFV district chairman Frank Ludewig unreservedly supports: “We have to make sure that the two clubs can play football together again.”
But the sting is apparently deep on both sides after things have rocked since the game.
The match back then on November 21 was explosive in several respects: On the one hand, because of the derby character, on the other hand, because the VfR reserve could have stolen the standings from the previously undefeated competitor with a win. At the end of a hard-fought game, the VfR actually scored the alleged winning goal, according to statements by the Türk-Sport officials, the insult by the goalkeeper came immediately afterwards. “You couldn’t miss it,” says Gzim Shala, the trainer of Türk Sport. It was immediately clear to him that an escalation was threatening, says Shala, who has been working as a voluntary integration officer for the BFV in all of Upper Bavaria since 2004 when disputes get out of hand.
A cell phone video confirms the statements
His version of the story sounds like this: The game was peaceful until the controversial incident. After the scandal, he worked with the opponent’s coaching staff to replace the goalkeeper, “to protect him, because it’s not about putting this boy in the pillory,” said Shala. However, the referee decided to abandon the game completely. There were even constructive talks between the opponents and friendly hugs. A cell phone video available to the SZ supports this statement. “VfR officials admitted to me on the sidelines that racist remarks had been made,” said Shala.
Nonetheless, the VfR published a statement after the game in which it rejected “any allegations of racism” and announced that it would “reserve the right to take legal action against the club, those responsible and individual players due to racist insults against our team”. When asked by SZ, VfR chairman Uwe Cygan refused to comment on the matter with reference to an “ongoing procedure”. The matter had meanwhile been handed over to a lawyer.
Türk sports trainer Shala cannot understand this development. “The statement was a slap in the face for me.” It was only these lines and a lack of apology that led his club and department head Hasan Celik to file charges against the player. In an official announcement, the club declares, “that we are in no way interested in deciding the game, which is now in the background, for us through a sports court proceeding and thus getting three points”. Rather, it is a matter of dealing with each other in a tolerant and respectful manner. “Racism is not the basis for a colorful and peaceful future in the city of Garching, where we all live together”, so the wording of the declaration.
In the opinion of Türk Sport Trainer Shala, the damage is not yet irreparable: “We can sit down and get things done.” The prerequisite is that the VfR and the player distance themselves from racism. “It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about our football.”