Hoffenheim fans engage in widespread protests during opening home league match
TSG supporters - and some reliable German footballing media sources - remain strongly suspicious that club patron Dietmar Hopp has reneged on his promise to turn over the process of decision-making to the fans.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim supporters groups continue to find themselves at loggerheads with their club heading into the new Bundesliga season. The administrative chaos taking place over the past month has been interpreted by many to be caused by the continued influence of club patron Dietmar Hopp. The unexpected sacking of sporting director Alexander Rosen - a popular figure with the fans - sparked discontent among the supporters' ranks.
Rosen's sacking, combined with the interim managerial team's massive spending spree taking place over the past few weeks, smacks of Hopp's influence. Both fan societies and many reputable German footballing media sources take this as a sign that Hopp has reneged on his promise to step back and return the club to fan ownership, even if he has formally done so.
Many fan groups consider likely-to-be-elected chairman Jörg Albrecht to be nothing more than Hopp's puppet. The Sinsheim mayor is generally loathed within the fan scene. Announced protests in this weekend's opening Bundesliga match were counters by threats from the club to cancel the fixture altogether. Additional security precautions were put in place to avoid some potentially more disruptive actions from the fans.
As it turned out, nothing particularly egregious occurred. Hoffenheim supporters registered their discontent with protest banners and an atmosphere boycott. There were no attempts to break into cordoned-off fan zones identified by the security team as "hot-spots". Banners still labelled club management "fools and liars". Others mocked the threat of match-cancellation.
It remains to be seen if the club can keep a lid on what some TSG fan groups have called a "crucial test" of their tolerance and resolve. Several German papers - including Germany's preeminent footballing publication, Kicker Magazine, - have suggested that insider sources suggest Hopp is still pulling the strings. If this proves true, a potential 50+1 violation could even be registered with Germany's Federal Anti-trust body.