Could Manfred Schwabl and Unterhaching help rescue German football?

Unterhaching boss Manfred Schwabl has been an outspoken critique of German football. But rather than just complaining, his club Unterhaching is now leading the way by providing change.

It has been incredibly fascinating to watch what has been happening at SpVgg Unterhaching over the last few months. On Tuesday, over 9,500 fans packed the club’s Sportpark Unterhaching to witness the friendly between Bayern Munich and Austrian club WSG Tirol.

Amidst the action was almighty Haching president Manfred Schwabl. The former Bayern Munich academy player and 1860 Munich captain was hands-on, serving beer in the club’s Wirtshaus am Sportpark.

It is an image that fits Schwabl. A former defensive midfielder with a bite, Schwabl always liked to be hands-on and direct. Attributes that he hasn’t lost to this day and have turned Unterhaching into one of the more exciting football clubs in Germany and threatens to upend the traditional order in Munich.

That order has always been straightforward. At its core, there were always two major clubs in the Bavarian capital: 1860 Munich for the workers in the downtown core and Bayern for the ritzier parts of the city, like Maxvorstadt (where the club was founded) and Schwabing.

Those traditional borders have, however, seen an increasing erosion over the last few decades. Although 1860 Munich’s move back to the Grünwalder Stadion meant the club once again controlled Giesing, the city of Munich has become increasingly red.