On the terraces: Hoffenheim chaos engulfing Matarazzo, Freiburg terrace guide, big lower-league crowds

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.

Boardroom politics and fan revolts continue to cause havoc at Hoffenheim, even threatening to put head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s job under threat. A potential replacement has reportedly been sounded out – but who is it? And who contacted him? Meanwhile, Freiburg ultras are fed up with racism, sexism, and people throwing cups of beer around and have produced a terrace behaviour guide. Elsewhere, big names in Germany’s lower leagues continue to attract huge crowds.

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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.