Bundesliga protests focus
The rain was pouring hard as Bayern Munich midfielders Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich did keepie-ups with Sebastian Rudy of Hoffenheim in the centre circle.
At first glance, it looked like a 13-minute training session in front of 30,000 spectators. But this was a Bundesliga game that for the first 77 minutes had only been about Bayern’s dominance. They had a clear 6-0 lead when something happened that is unprecedented in the long history of German football.
It started with banners in the away end housing Bayern supporters. One read “Du Hurensohn” (“You son of a whore”) with the letters D and H coloured in blue. It was quite clear who this was aimed at – Hoffenheim’s main financial backer, Dietmar Hopp.
The 79-year old was watching from the VIP stand with a bewildered look on his face as Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge ostentatiously put an arm around his shoulder for comfort. The referee stopped the game – there had been instructions to do so should insults be displayed on banners or voiced from the crowd.