Sporting-wise, SC Freiburg is the only Bundesliga club still unbeaten, economically the club has defied the Corona crisis, there is a new president, and the first Bundesliga match in the new stadium is coming up this weekend. Coach Christian Streich speaks of an “absolutely exceptional situation”.
Streich’s respect for the move to the new Europa-Park Stadium is palpable, even if he senses that “the players are highly motivated and totally looking forward to something new and modern”. Before the game against RB Leipzig (Saturday, 3.30pm), he repeatedly wished the 20,000 fans admitted to the stadium “to hear that we have a home game”.
After all, he said, it was “the same team, the same club, it’s just a different building and a different place”. The Sport-Club does not want to concede its first defeat of the season on its debut in its new home of all places. “We want to enjoy being there now and put the past behind us,” said Streich, “that’s the goal for the players and for me. “
“The way things are going right now is an absolutely exceptional situation. “
CHRISTIAN STREICH
This week, the club even announced a profit of almost ten million euros despite a lack of spectator income for last season, the SC coach commented with satisfaction, but also with words of caution. “The way things are going right now is an absolutely exceptional situation,” he said, “I really hope that this spirit, also this fighting against bigger things and not believing that we are already with the bigger ones, that it stays and that we don’t let it blind us.” The current changes are “not so small”. And even though many probably don’t want to hear it any more, it is important to “maintain humility, then there are good years ahead of us”. There are enough examples of how things can go otherwise.
Hopeful Fugmann
He also has hopes for the newly elected president Eberhard Fugmann, although he has no operational powers. Streich has known the former Freiburg school headmaster for many years because he already had dealings with him as an A-youth coach. Fugmann headed a grammar school that is a cooperation school of Freiburg’s junior performance centre, and he provided “excellent support for the athletes,” said the SC coach, who described him as a “great pedagogue and person”. “He can represent us super, by his way and what he stands for.”
Fugmann has been a club member and season ticket holder for almost 30 years, and is also involved in the supporters’ association of the Freiburg football school, and sees his “main task in the dialogue with the members and the organised fan clubs”. The 67-year-old is also a clear advocate of the 50+1 rule and rejects “investor-financed professional football”, as he emphasised in his application speech. He also wants to “make sure that we form a unit as a club”. That is why he also wants to deal with critics, only a few of whom spoke at the generally very harmonious general meeting. There are accusations from the active fan scene that the Sport-Club is too much on a commercialisation course – especially with regard to the new name sponsor for the stadium.
This weekend, the Freiburg team wants to gain a foothold in the stadium from a sporting point of view. The turf, already battered after the test match against FC St. Pauli, has been replaced. And those responsible for the club hope that everything will run smoothly from an organisational point of view, too, when 5,000 more spectators come than at the opening ceremony. “We want to get there as quickly as possible and be able to show really good games,” said Streich.
