On the terraces: Euphoric HSV fans celebrate Bundesliga return, Bayern bid farewell to Müller

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.

2,553 days after their traumatic first-ever relegation from the Bundesliga, Hamburger SV are back in the top-flight, finally sealing promotion with a thumping 6-1 win. The celebrations at the Volksparkstadion were as wild as you can imagine, as was the ensuing party on the Reeperbahn, which continued well into the night. The celebrations were in full flow in Munich, too, where FC Bayern not only lifted the Bundesliga trophy but also said Auf Wiedersehen to Thomas Müller. Unfortunately, however, the choreography produced by the Bayern ultras didn’t meet the high standards of some random people on the internet. Oh well. With one more round of games to go, there are still things to play for, which is why German fans have once again demanded that fixtures on matchdays 33 & 34 return to simultaneous kick-off times.

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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.