Wir waren am Osterwochenende nicht einmal in der Nähe einer Live-Übertragung. Und können daher mit Blick auf den nun doch sehr wahrscheinlichen Klassenerhalt des SV Werder nur auf die colleghi von der Hashtagmafia verweisen. Und uns natürlich wie Bolle freuen! Über das alles. Wahnsinn!

Auf zwei weitere Dinge möchten wir Euch zum Ende des langen Wochenendes trotzdem aufmerksam machen. Zum einen (noch einmal) auf unsere »Still ♥’ing Micoud«-Shirts, die es nun via Spreadshirt zu bestellen gibt. Zum anderen auf den Umstand, dass unser Artikel zu RB Leipzig und der 11Freunde-Kritik seinen Weg in die internationale Blogosphäre fand. Christoph Wagner fasst unter dem Titel »Football is for You and Me« in seinem »An Old International«-Blog die Debatte kurz zusammen und wirft im Nebensatz ein spannendes Schlaglicht auf Unterschiede britischer und deutscher Diskussionskultur (ein Unterschied, der uns damals tatsächlich auch bewusst wurde). Nachfolgend ein Auszug:

»In its March issue, Germany’s largest football magazine, 11Freunde presented readers with a stinging criticism which contained a lot of truths. […] Philipp Köster, editor-in-chief of 11Freunde and author of the text, is right. RB Leipzig is an artificial club. […] Where Köster is wrong however, is the passage in his report in which he insinnuates that a club – as artificial as RB Leipzig may be – can only have ›real‹ fans if the club in itself is real, too.

That such an article caused a response is a good sign as it highlights that there is a debate about issues such as a club like RB Leipzig who admittedly stretch limits of acceptance. Yet, it also brought to light a rift. The reply came from a writer supporting Werder Bremen based in Hamburg, which is like living in Liverpool and supporting Manchester United; the blog is titled vert et blanc. The writer attests Köster a longing for a perceived ›golden period‹ in the history of German football: »This longing for a pre-civilizing condition is a reaction to the increasing complexity of modern society.« A desire for a golden age of football the British historian Chris Young writes, is a misconception as there never has been one. Instead we mostly believe that there has been a golden age. It is here where the writer is right. There never has been a golden period. […] In a social sub-system such as football, the media play an important role to promote football. In fact, both require each other. Hence, the media are responsible for developments within football. This is another point where the reply has a point. Football culture as we experience it nowadays is largely possible due to technological developments from which the media have profited, too.

It is therefore somehow very thin ice on which Köster treads. And here the rift becomes visible. Köster and his magazine, 11Freunde a magazine for football culture, seem to have a certain idea of what football and its accompanying culture should be. Unfortunately, there seems to be no acceptance of deviation from this stance. This is laudable but should not make the magazine and the people behind it immune against critique; a critique that has valid points and presents them in a cultured, almost academic manner. That this reply has hit a sore point becomes clear with the riposte of Köster. He accuses the blogger of not having read his original article, which doesn’t sit well. This is an arrogant and condescending reply. Period. He laments that it has become impossible to criticize football projects such as RasenBall Leipzig without becoming a target for criticism and even abuse. Infact, a debating culture such as is existent in Great Britain does not, has never existed in Germany, sadly.

Köster simply condemns all criticism of not having read his original article or having followed the debate over the last years in he magazine. The writer of vert et blanc who originally put this lenghty critique online was accused of using sociological language to appear sophisticated but produces nothing but hot air. And here a far more disturbing mindset comes forward. In accusing vert et blanc of using academic speech and hence an according background, Köster demasks himself as neophobic as afraid or scared of anything new. German Angst. German Angst is broadly defined as a reluctance to embrace or accept new developments. In its extreme it turns into neophobia.«

Ob die Liverpool/Manchester-Analogie wirklich passt, lassen wir mal dahingestellt.
Den ganzen Artikel gibt es hier.