‘Ashamed’ Bayern to punish offensive banner culprits after bizarre finale

BERLIN: Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge vowed to “take all-out action” against the fans who unfurled a banner insulting Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp during the Bundesliga leaders’ 6-0 victory on Saturday.

The game in Hoffenheim finished in bizarre circumstances with both teams passing the ball between each other after a lengthy delay over an offensive banner in the section housing travelling Bayern supporters.

Players from both sides stood on the field but refused to play for the final 10 minutes as the clock wound down. Rummenigge said he was “deeply ashamed of these chaotic people” who have “discredited the name of FC Bayern”.

The entire Bayern team — along with coach Hansi Flick and Rummenigge — approached the ultras block and pleaded with fans to remove the banner. “Today, at the absolute latest, the moment has come when the entire Bundesliga needs to take action against these chaotic people.

“We must all stand together. We have closed our eyes for far too long. This is the ugly face of football.” German Football Association boss Christian Seifert indicated after the match that no action would be taken against either side.

In a statement, Seifert said both sides “acted in an exemplary manner in this situation, thereby sending a clear signal to some self-appointed rules of football culture not to tolerate such conduct any longer.”

The fans refused to withdraw the banner, prompting a surreal conclusion to a match in which Bayern overcame the absence of injured striker Robert Lewandowski. Mean while in Saturday’s late game, Cologne compounded Schalke’s recent woes with a 3-0 win at home who have won only once in the Bundesliga since mid-December and are losing their grip on the European placings.

To add more calamity, Cologne fans also rolled out a banner, this time targeting the German FA’s decision to ban away fans at games between Dortmund and Hoffenheim for the next two years, saying it amounted to “collective punishment”.

Cologne captain Jonas Hector said he supported the fans. “Why should 20,000 people who have supported us for the entire 90 minutes be punished for the actions of a few?”