Hoffenheim fans continue to protest in force against controversial agent Roger Wittmann | OneFootball

The recent ruling by a Heidelberg regional court permitting controversial agent Roger Wittmann to continue attending TSG 1899 Hoffenheim matches at the PreZero Arena continues to spark ire among club supporters. Hoffenheim ultras again staged a protest against Wittmann at their most recent home Bundesliga fixture. Recent developments at the club have catalyzed the movement. 

Earlier this week, two club administrators who remained in favor of appealing the court’s ruling were dismissed.Hoffenheim bosses Dr. Markus Schütz and Frank Briel were known to be among the primary advocates for ridding the club of Wittmann’s influence. Club patron Dietmar Hopp initially recused himself from club efforts, before openly declaring that he would fight in favor of his close confidant and business associate.

Schütz and Briel were known to be dismissed from the club because their relationship with Hopp was considered “irrevocably damaged“, though official Hoffenheim statements on the firings obviously did not officially acknowledge this. It is such that TSG supporters held up banners on Saturday demanding transparency. 

Among the other protest actions in the TSG FanKurve an “Öffentlichskeitsfahndung” (man-hunt) banner insinuated that Wittmann should be tracked down wherever he happened to be “hiding” in the stadium. An “Enkelheitsbetrüger” banner compared Wittmann to the type of con-artists who specialize in scamming the elderly, in this case the 85-year-old Hopp. 

A “Verdacht des gewerbsmäßigen Betrugs” banner outright accused Wittmann of committing commercial fraud, something there is hard evidence for. A large banner in front of the ultra Kurve read “Roger Wittmann, verpiss dich aus unserem Verein” (“Roger Wittmann, piss off from our club“). Fans chanted against Wittmann and held up more “Wittmann Stoppen” placards throughout the match. 

Two GGFN Editorials (Opinion)

An editorial written for this site in September provides some historical context by referencing previous anti Dietmar Hopp demonstrations taking place between 2018 and 2020. The famous “Fadenkreuz” (“cross-hairs“) controversy was a very different movement in which supporters of other Bundesliga clubs held up pictures of Hopp in rifle cross-hairs. The protests were deemed hate speech and many matches were halted because of it. 

An editorial published yesterday provides some context for this movement. In this case, Hopp’s own fans are protesting against him. Hopp promised to return Hoffenheim to 50+1 rule in the spring of 2023 and officially did so via the DFL some eight months later. Hopp nevertheless continues to exert influence on the club’s dealings, in this case prioritizing the desire of one of his business associates over the wishes of his fans. 

The second editorial argues that Hopp – who has repeatedly stated that the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim project was a “labor of love” – has a chance to make good on this statement by turning the project he built back over to the local population. The editorial firmly avers that, if Hopp remains more concerned with entertaining specific friends in his luxury suite, the project cannot be construed as a “labor of love” created for the Rhein-Neckar-Region. 

GGFN | Peter Weis