Oddly, the colors on this sign are exactly the opposite of what they should be.
Next weekend will see one of the Bundesliga’s biggest derby matches: the so-called Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke. This derby’s been going on since 1925, and just like any derby it’s the highlight of the schedule for most fans of both teams. For Schalke, next week’s match is extra special, as it will be the first Revierderby for new signings Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
From the Borussia Dortmund fans, however, there’s a little bit more antipathy. In fact, there’s so much bad blood over a recent ticketing move that many Dortmund fans have opted to skip the derby match altogether.
What’s keeping the Dortmund fans away? Ticket prices. Last year, a ticket to stand on the terraces at this same fixture cost around €14; this year, however, Schalke has decided to impose a “top game surcharge” for the match, which jacks the price up to €22. So far, 200 supporters have returned their tickets, and with Dortmund being more than willing to accept the returns and issue refunds more returns are expected.
There are, of course, two separate points of view on why the Dortmund fans are doing this. One of those views – the view expressed by schwatzgelb.com, a Dortmund fan website – is that this increase in match pricing for special games is really an attempt by the Bundesliga to usher in an era of higher ticket prices. The Bundesliga has long been heralded for keeping ticket prices down and quality on the pitch high; the league is more competitive in Europe than ever before, and yet terrace tickets can be had for relatively low amounts. The slippery slope argument works rather simply: By getting fans used to paying higher prices for certain games, they’ll eventually be able to get fans to pay higher prices for every game. Per their official statement:
Ticket prices have dramatically increased for the Derby. Standing comes in at 22€, and seats are on sale for an average price of 55€. We believe that this is an attempt to establish higher ticket prices altogether, we have decided to fight this. It is not an action taken against [Schalke] (where the fans are also touched by those problems) but against a long term development, which is gonna harm football at large. We understand the Derby boycott only as a beginning to more actions to follow under the label “Kein Zwanni für nen Steher” (Twenty-Euro for standing – no way!). Our long-term objective is a fair pricing system in every stadium in Germany.
Of course, that’s only one side of the story. The other side is a little less noble. Schalke, who were runners up in the Bundesliga last year, went on a little bit of a spending spree this summer; they spent something in the area of €20.7 million on players, which was easily the highest figure in Germany; they feel that this protest has less to do with the pure motivations of fans wanting to keep ticket prices down and more to do with plain old jealousy. Says Rolf Rojek, a former Schalke club official:
“The timing of this initiative is somewhat unfortunate. Because this is Schalke vs. Dortmund, everybody will think that this is about the rivalry, not something more fundamental.”
What else could it be about? Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp has some ideas:
“I think it’s great our people don’t go there to finance [new striker] Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.”
Whatever the reason, the end result is still the same: next Sunday’s Revierderby is going to have a few less away fans in attendance.
Very interesting stuff. I’d like to seem them keep the prices down but it’ll be tough. And Klopp’s comment was great