On the terraces: the Yellow Wall stands firm in Paris, 'Fortress Volkspark' stands firm in Hamburg – and Schalke are safe

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.

Welcome to this week's "on the terraces" newsletter – or "en tribune" as they say in Paris, where Borussia Dortmund spectacularly eliminated Paris Saint-Germain to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday night. While BVB's support was notable over the two legs for its volume rather than any particularly spectacular visuals, the PSG ultras caught the attention with a three-stand choreography which was as controversial as it was complex. Read on for more on the "Collectif Ultras Paris" (CUP). Back in Germany, the Hamburg derby came with even greater intensity than usual, but also with an unusual moment of solidarity. And did anyone see that Schalke are safe from relegation? No-one saw it live, that's for sure.

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This is Matt Ford’s 16th “On the terraces” newsletter. The first newsletter for Gegenpressing was made available for all subscribers so readers can get a good idea of what he’ll be covering in German football this year. If you like what you see, please consider taking out a paid subscription.