There was some evidence on Saturday that almost 50,000 people were guilty of fraudulent labeling when they bought tickets for a “derby”. On the one hand, at most half of the 50,000 spectators were still there at the final whistle, and ten minutes before the final whistle the setting looked more third-class than derby-like. On the other hand, there was this clear result, 4-0 for Karlsruhe, which perfectly reflected the one-sided showdown after goals from Marvin Wanitzek, Igor Matanovic, Paul Nebel and Budu Zivdzivadze.
Thirdly, only one side was in a derby mood, while the Lauterers played as if they were unassailable even when the score was 0-0. Julian Krahl, who couldn’t do anything about Karlsruhe’s goal because the people in front of him hadn’t done much before, was served: “We just played a huge pile of shit together,” said Lautern’s goalkeeper. “What we did today is a complete disgrace.”
That could be left as it is, although the question remained unanswered as to how a team that had shown at least second division average football in the 1-1 draw in Nuremberg the week before could not be competitive in such an important game. This season, Karlsruher SC has a second division team with above-average football talent. However, she is neither young nor fast. It is all the more telling that the KSC not only appeared more nimble mentally against the FCK, but also physically. The Lauterer tactic of standing securely and constantly covering the team did not work. It wasn’t corrected until the final whistle.
The majority of FCK fans suffer in silence.
It was all the more remarkable that the 45,000 Lautern fans treated the lecture on the pitch so politely. Of course there were a few whistles. And of course after the game a few supporters from the Westkurve confronted the team. But there were no collective outbursts of anger, the majority suffered in silence and from the 75th minute secretly, quietly and shaking their heads made their way home. However, a vote with flying feet should actually be even more alarming for those responsible than angry protest. After all, the “Betze” is one of the few stadiums in the Republic where fans can stay until the final whistle.
Before the game began, the guests’ supporters were just as civilized when a minute of mourning was held for the late Andreas Brehme, during which the people of Karlsruhe also remained silent and then applauded the FCK hero. Brehme, who is responsible for one of the most beautiful anecdotes in the collective memory of Lautern fans, was commemorated with many pictures from his time in Lauter (1981-1986 and 1993 to 1998). In 1996, the then FCK captain actually wanted to end his career. However, after relegation was certain – and an iconic photo was taken of Rudi Völler in the Leverkusen jersey consoling the completely distraught fellow world champion – he stayed, went with FCK to the second division and was promoted again the season after next Master.
Now, a good 25 years later, the fear of relegation is again overpowering all other thoughts in Kaiserslautern. In other places, at other times, a performance like the Lauterer team on Saturday leads to coaches being fired. But the FCK has already changed coaches twice this season: In order to avert a downward trend he had identified, sports director Thomas Hengen fired Dirk Schuster in November – at a time when he was in eleventh place. Things then progressed rapidly under Dimitrios Grammozis, which is why Friedhelm Funkel was hired in the middle of the week before last, news that was greeted with great goodwill in the Palatinate. Especially since the 70-year-old at least scored a point in his first game in Nuremberg (1:1).
After all, Funkel says he has experienced situations that were “even more bitter.”
So now this 0:4 against KSC, which there was nothing to sugarcoat. Not even from Funkel himself, who tried to keep the belief alive that someone who knew about things based solely on his experience had taken over. In his career he had “already had other situations with teams that were just as bitter, or even more bitter.” In Rostock next weekend we will see “a different team.”
That wouldn’t be a bad idea, after all, on Saturday you’ll be third-from-last against the second-to-last with the same points. It would also be a good idea to not only look at the upcoming opponent, but also at the last one: KSC has one of the smallest budgets in the league and still has ten points more than Kaiserslautern. It is one of the strongest teams in the league because it has a coach who wants exactly this type of football to be played – and who is allowed to do so: Christian Eichner has been a coach at the Wildpark for over four years. The FCK has since worn out six of its colleagues.