Personae Non Gratae
The misunderstanding: Eleven competitive matches with only one clean sheet — that is the bitter record of the "goalkeeper yob" at the TSG. According to football legend, Wiese turned down an offer from Real Madrid in 2012 at the urging of his agent Roger Wittmann, only to move to the Rhine-Neckar region instead. A fiasco that ended with Wiese being sidelined and eventually pursuing a career in professional wrestling.…
The ego-shooter: Self-promoter Sandro W. made headlines during his time at Hoffenheim with his loud opinions and on-pitch self-staging. The 1.94-metre-tall striker always liked to talk — a lot — and now, having arrived on the big football stage, people were finally listening…
Haters gonna hate: In 2007, before a match between Mainz and Hoffenheim, Christian Heidel was quoted in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung saying „Schade, dass so eine Mannschaft einen der 36 Plätze im Profi-Fußball wegnimmt“ zitiert. „Scheiß Millionäre“, „Ohne Dietmar wärt ihr gar nicht hier…
Joachim Watzke and BVB Ultras — No comment: The Borussia Dortmund CEO likes to position himself as the chief critic of investor-driven models in professional football. Yet he is the head of the only stock-exchange-listed football club in Germany. The football romantic also has a few choice words for "Hoffe"…
Ultras — No comment: Autumn 2008 — even among football fans, the Hoffenheim project drew disapproval as its success grew. Dortmund supporters displayed a banner with Hopp's likeness, crosshairs and the inscription: "Hasta la vista Hopp!" The DFB's sports tribunal subsequently sought to crack down with stadium bans…
