On the terraces: Bayern ultras boycott title win, Nürnberg & Schalke celebrate birthdays, Köln chaos continues

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 fan protests to finances.

When you know that just one more win will see your club seal the league title, that’s a game you’d be desperate to be at, surely? Not so for Bayern Munich’s hardcore support this weekend, who boycotted the fixture at which their team (effectively) won the Bundesliga.

Elsewhere, you’d have to be an 1. FC Nürnberg supporter of fairly advanced years to remember Der Glubb’s last league title. That and other historic events were at the centre of the celebrations in Franconia as FCN celebrated their 125th birthday with a spectacular choreography, which even surpassed the display produced by their friends at Schalke, where the Ultras Gelsenkirchen produced their first choreo in over two years. Why the long absence? Read on.

Finally, a week of high profile coaching sackings across the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga would obviously not be complete without 1. FC Köln, who are doing their very best to squander promotion. Following the latest setback, FC fans demanded the head coach be sacked, and got their wish, with the chief executive sent packing, too, for good measure. Kölsche Chaos.

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Matt Ford's "On the terraces" newsletter will continue to appear every week throughout the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Last season, the newsletter featured exclusive and in-depth coverage of the Bundesliga's private equity plans and the political intrigues at VfB Stuttgart, among other things. If you like what you see, please consider taking out a paid subscription.