Cologne Set Example for Bundesliga by Disowning Hooligan Fan Group

Anyone who tuned in late to Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-0 win against Cologne last weekend may have mistaken what they saw for a weird spinoff of Breaking Bad.

After Granit Xhaka's stoppage-time winner, a unit of apparent Walter White-in-uniform clones scaled Borussia-Park's barriers and stormed onto the pitch. Accompanied by flares, the crowd of boilersuit-donning fans made a mess of the end of the match before being cleared from the pitch.

Fans of local rivals Gladbach and Cologne also clashed last September, and in light of repeated incidents and growing tensions between the local supporters, the visiting club decided on Monday to throw the proverbial book at the pitch invaders.

Those who stormed the pitch were promptly deprived of their club member status (official statement here, in German). The offenders were hit with stadium bans and their season tickets were rescinded. Additionally, the "Boyz" club was stripped of its fan club status and removed from Cologne's "Fan Culture" association.

"These people harm FC," read a headline on the Cologne website (in German) after the match. The accompanying article revealed that the club's authorities were evaluating photographic evidence to identify the perpetrators. The club posted nine photos of pitch invaders on their website along with a harshly-worded statement that condemned the hooligans for bringing Cologne, its members, supporters and corporate partners into disrepute and for destroying the club's fan culture. The statement clarified the club's position that such ultras have no place in the stands and requested that fans do their part in helping the club in their endeavors to identify the offenders.

Saturday's events were just the latest in rapidly-rising tensions at the Rhine derby. Last September's fixture between the two teams was marred by rioting as well, albeit outside the stadium, as a rivalry that had been on hiatus for two years as Cologne languished in the 2. Bundesliga suddenly roared back to life. In their pre-match choreography, fans of hosts Cologne had shown an image of a decapitated foal, the symbol of Gladbach.

Last Saturday, Gladbach fans responded with a banner depicting a billy goat (Cologne's mascot) being spanked, much to visiting fans' chagrin. The pitch invasion was by far the most extreme form of in-stadium fan hostility in the clubs' recent history, though. It wasn't just that Cologne ultras stormed the pitch: Video footage from the stands later posted on YouTube (warning: violent footage) showed that the invaders were later beaten by Gladbach fans, with the stewards seemingly reluctant to intervene.

In context, perhaps, Cologne's reaction may have been less drastic and more necessary than initial looks suggested. Ultras from both clubs have in recent times repeatedly contributed to the escalation in tensions at the Rhine derby, but the Geissbocken have an especially ugly history of hooliganism in recent times. Among professional German clubs, only Hannover and 1860 Munich were (via German Fanzeit.de) fined more than Cologne last season. Eventually, there had to be a breaking point, and this time the club did not wait for league authorities to reach a verdict before imposing their own sanctions.

As a club, Cologne took the moral high road by denouncing the hooligans that ought not to represent their association, that mar its rich history and traditions. They've taken bad news and made a positive out of it by ridding themselves of a cancer that otherwise could have festered and led to further aggression and possibly uglier scenes further down the road.

Although hooliganism is not exactly the Bundesliga's biggest problem, ultras around the league will take note of the example Cologne have made and will be more reluctant to engage in the asocial and utterly stupid activities of the Boyz. In effect, Cologne have not only helped snuff out extremism in their own derby with Gladbach but helped the league as a whole. Whoever said small clubs couldn't have a big impact?

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