Matt Ford

What an odious old man.

Immigrants > billionaires.

#mufc 🇾🇪

🇩🇪 And elsewhere in Germany this week:

🇲🇨 Köln protest against red bull
🟡 Dresden protest against ticket prices
🔵 Schalke protest against Tönnies
🔥 "Ich fand's geil": Steffen Baumgart on Union Berlin choreo

Another packed newsletter! ➡️ gegenpressing.substack.com/p/on-the-ter...

🎪 Clue: it has to do (predictably) with Dietmar Hopp and the extent to which TSG Hoffenheim really are a normal, 50+1 compliant club again.

🎪 Welcome to the circus. Sit where you like.

Full story on Gegenpressing ➡️ gegenpressing.substack.com/p/on-the-ter...

On the terraces: 'Punch & Judy' in Hoffenheim, anti-Tönnies banners at Schalke, anti-RB protest in Köln In a weekly Newsletter, Matt Ford keeps an eye on the action off the pitch in the Bundesliga and German football, explaining what’s going on from choreographies to fan protests to finances.

🇩🇪 On the terraces this week: Hoffenheim special

🔵 Despite the 1-5 defeat in Munich on Sunday, Hoffenheim are 3rd in the #Bundesliga and having their best season in years.

🤔 So why was Director of Sport Andreas Schicker on the verge of the sack on Monday?

gegenpressing.substack.com/p/on-the-ter...

FT: Fürth 4-5 Magdeburg

In hindsight, actually not a surprising result at all given Fürth have now been involved in 5 of the ten most high-scoring 2. Bundesliga games this season, and FCM have been involved in 3 of them - including a 4-5 defeat to Fürth earlier in the campaign. Easy money, really.

FT: Union Berlin 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Brown fires Frankfurt ahead late on - only their 3rd shot of the game, but a brilliant half volley. Only for Höjlund to foul Khedira in the box one min later. Second yellow + pen, which Querfeld squeezes under Kaua. Poor game. Neither team have won in 2026.

HT: Union Berlin 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht dominating possession but cautious in their attacks. Exploded a couple of times down the right with Götze/Höjlund/Doan combining, but produced no shot on goal. GK Kaua‘s save from Kemlein the most spectacular moment so far - on the pitch at least.

🌲 Die Alte Försterei im Winter. Ultras Frankfurt am Gästeeingang.

🦅 Albert Riera‘s first game in charge of Eintracht. The biggest club he’s been involved with in his career thus far.

#bundesliga

Normal scenes at half-time in the 2. Bundesliga relegation battle. Nothing to see here. Carry on.

🇲🇨 Did 1. FC Köln‘s under-19s lose because one of the 50,000 fans invaded the pitch? 😬

🇲🇨 Either way, impressions from a record-breaking night in Müngersdorf on the Gegenpressing podcast

w/ @manuelveth.bsky.social & @danwighton.bsky.social

🎧 gegenpressing.substack.com/p/dfb-pokal-...

It didn’t look good on Tuesday night and now St. Pauli have confirmed that Ricky-Jade Jones has torn ankle ligaments and will likely be out for the rest of the season.

The English striker had scored away at Köln & BVB in the past couple of months.

#bundesliga

On the terraces: Chaos in Köln, banners in Bremen, peacocks in Paderborn In a weekly Newsletter, Matt Ford keeps an eye on the action off the pitch in the Bundesliga and German football, explaining what’s going on from choreographies to fan protests to finances.

🇩🇪 On the terraces this week:

🇲🇨 Köln set U19 attendance record
🔵 Hertha & Berlin police latest
🟢 Werder ultras' patience runs out
💱 New DFL financial rules
🔥 Bayern away at HSV
🦚 Peacocks in Paderborn

A packed Gegenpressing newsletter this week ⬇️

gegenpressing.substack.com/p/on-the-ter...

FT: Köln 1-3 Inter

Two Inter goals, 90+6 & 90+7, after a pitch invader caused one more minute to be added. A very FC way to go.

Muss de Pänz ja och lerne. 🇲🇨

1. FC Köln vs. Inter Milan
(UEFA Youth League - U19)

Attendance: 50,000

#effzeh

Hamburger SV vs. 1. FC Köln scheduled as the Bundesliga's prime-time "Topspiel" on matchday 26 rather than Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich.

Although newly-promoted, HSV (140,000 members) & Köln (160,000) are the sixth & joint-fourth biggest football clubs in Germany, respectively.

#bundesliga

🏴‍☠️ FC St. Pauli away at Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup last night.

Full allocation (~3,000), plus more in the home end, for an 850km round trip on a Tuesday night. Solid support.

FT: Leverkusen 3-0 St. Pauli

#DFBPokal 🏆

FT: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 St. Pauli

An improved Werkself take control after the break and deservedly reach a third consecutive #DFBPokal semi-final thanks to goals from Schick (volley from lovely Garcia cross) and Hofmann (from Grimaldo cross). Worrying for St. Pauli: Jones off with a twisted ankle.

HT: Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 St. Pauli

Leverkusen lead through Terrier‘s impressive volley - but it’s a game characterised by chaotic defending on both sides. St Pauli arguably the better side but (typically) haven’t finished their chances, the best of which fell to Kaars.

🏆 #dfbpokal

Monday Bulletin: Tillman finally arrives, Stuttgart impress, Maina on fire, Hoeneß criticizes Upamecano's agent and more! Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Gegenpressing Monday Bulletin. This newsletter hopes to provide a vital source of information for any serious Bundesliga fan, as we round up some of the ...

🇩🇪 #Bundesliga Monday bulletin on Gegenpressing:

🔷 HSV's tactical tweaks vs. Bayern
🔴 Bayern: Hoeneß criticises Upamecano's agent
🇲🇨 Köln: Linton Maina finding form
⚫ Tillman's "arrival" bodes well for Leverkusen

And more ...

gegenpressing.substack.com/p/monday-bul...

Borussia Dortmund could feasibly have lost 3-4 but hold on against bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim to close the gap on Bayern Munich to six points (was 11 at the start of January).

#bundesliga

Another completely normal BVB game:
-Bayern drop points, BVB take lead vs. bottom-of-table Heidenheim
-Then go 1-2 down. Should be 1-3.
-Then 3-2 up, Guirassy x2 after Schlotterbeck gives him pen in front of Süd. Great captaincy.
-Then gives him a second pen & Guirassy chips over.
-Now should be 3-3

🇩🇪 2. Bundesliga: Despite a deserved defeat in the "Kleines Revierderby" away at Bochum, Schalke somehow cling on to top spot after both Darmstadt & Paderborn fail to capitalise.

But Elversberg (lost in promotion play-off last season) go second after winning away at neighbours Kaiserslautern.

Q: What went through your head when Bayern went 2-1 up?

HSV head coach Polzin: "Scheiße."

Hamburger SV 2-2 FC Bayern München

"Alles riskieren!" as the HSV chant goes - and that’s exactly what they did, matching Bayern for long spells, outrunning them, attacking whenever they could, led at both ends by the outstanding Luka Vuskovic. HSV‘s biggest & best #Bundesliga display of the season.

"'Ell, yes." 👀

1. FC Köln 1-0 VfL Wolfsburg

FC have goalkeeper Marwin Schwäbe to thank as they hold on for three points which, for a long time, looked safe against an extremely poor Wolfsburg side. But they didn't build on Maina's first-half goal and invited unnecessary, late pressure.

#bundesliga

"United against UEFA – No to collective punishments!"

Joint statement from Stuttgart's Cannstatter Kurve and Young Boys' Ostkurve Bern.

After Bayern Munich (at home to Union SG) and Eintracht Frankfurt (away at Qarabag), Young Boys are the third fan scene to successfully circumvent a collective UEFA punishment this season.

VfB Stuttgart at home to Young Boys in the Europa League this evening - and ultras from the Ostkurve Bern in an improvised away end at the Neckarstadion after circumventing a UEFA ban with help from their Stuttgart counterparts.

Update: 1. FC Köln have confirmed that the U19 UEFA Youth League game vs. Inter Milan next week is a 50,000 sell-out.

#effzeh 🐐