Borussia Dortmund’s active fan scene are planning to boycott the club’s upcoming away fixture at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in protest at ticket prices, the football culture website Faszination Fankurve reported on Monday.
For the Bundesliga match on 23 September, the host club are charging travelling Dortmund supporters €55 for the cheapest seating ticket in the away section. In contrast, fans of Schalke 04 will pay only €35 for the equivalent ticket when they visit the Rhein-Neckar Arena, and Mainz 05 fans only €26.
Die-hard supporters are heavily critical of the higher ticket prices – what they call Topspielzuschläge - charged for the visit of bigger Bundesliga outfits, and feel exploited for guaranteeing a sold-out away end. Only Bayern Munich fans pay the same price as Dortmund.
In an open letter to the active fan scene, the Südtribüne’s leading ultra-groups say they have been left “speechless” by the price, and point out that a ticket for last season’s Champions League final in Berlin only cost €10 more.
“Following feedback from the fan clubs, we have concluded that a boycott is the only option”, the communiqué states. “Do not purchase a ticket for the game in Hoffenheim, and show them where they can stick their ticket prices!”
The supporters are concerned that by agreeing to pay €55 for a ticket, such increases will become the accepted “market value”, and that if they don’t act now it will soon be too late.
Ultras tell VAVEL their reasoning behind the boycott
Despite the boycott in Hoffenheim, the fans still intend to support their club – by attending a reserve fixture instead. Speaking exclusively to VAVEL, a member of the group behind the protest said:
“Our second team are playing at home on the same evening at the Stadion Rote Erde [the historic 10,000 capacity reserve ground next door to Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion], so we’ll be calling on all BVB fans to attend. We’ll make our position clear with our banners and flags.”
He also revealed that Borussia Dortmund themselves have expressed their support with the boycotting fans. Since many of the supporters have purchased “away season tickets”, they have technically already paid for their ticket and are obliged to accept it.
But, as VAVEL has heard, “the club are with us on this. They’ve asked Hoffenheim to reconsider their pricing but have heard no response. So we’re left with no other option but to boycott. They’ll send the tickets back and refund us the money.”
In the open letter, the hardcore supporters also called on BVB fans living local to Hoffenheim, who aren’t part of the active fan scene, to show their solidarity and join the boycott. “Please inform your friends, your fan clubs and any other travelling supporters to join us and make this boycott a success.”
Dortmund fans hit with flag ban
In a separate open letter addressed to Borussia Dortmund and the DFL, supporters have rejected a ban on flags and banners imposed on them following the use of pyrotechnics at the German cup final in May (Dortmund lost 3-1 to Wolfsburg in Berlin).
In addition to a €90,000 fine handed out to the club, supporters have also been banned from taking large flags and banners to away games until the end of the year.
Under the collective name Südtribüne Dortmund, the fans rejected the ban as “out of touch, counter-productive and not acceptable”.