Leipzig belies critics to soar
Print Edition
PROMOTED RB Leipzig always expected its first Bundesliga season to be a turbulent affair but it seems to have gotten more than it bargained for with a sensational start that has seen it go top of the table after 10 matches.
Hated by many German soccer fans for its rapid rise through the ranks, from the amateur leagues to the Bundesliga in just seven years, thanks to cash from owners Red Bull, the club had braced for vocal opposition this season.
From silence in the stands as a form of protest, to constant mocking chants, fans in Germany have vented their anger against Leipzig, a club created in 2009 after energy drinks maker Red Bull bought the license of amateur club SSV Markranstaedt.
The club is an exception to ownership rules in Germany where individuals cannot buy a majority share of a team unless they are the single biggest investors for an uninterrupted 20-year period. But due to the ownership structure of Leipzig, billionaire and Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz was able to circumvent that rule, earning further wrath from soccer fans.
“We at Mainz 05 see ourselves like the exact opposite of Leipzig’s pompous soccer project,” Mainz 05 fans said in an online forum on Sunday prior to their game against Leipzig as they called for fans not to boycott it.
But after Leipzig’s 3-1 win against Mainz on Sunday it was clear for many that the only East German team in the league meant business.
With an unbeaten performance so far, Leipzig — the league’s youngest team with an average age of just over 23 — is joint top of the table with champion Bayern Munich, second only on goal difference, thanks to its quick pressing and attacking game.
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