Bitter loss for the top game
VfB Stuttgart is very annoyed, Wehrle is “irritated” by fans
April 1, 2024, 9:21 a.m
In a wild game, VfB Stuttgart squandered what they thought was a certain victory, and the saved point offers little consolation. There is bitter news for the top game at Borussia Dortmund. In the stands, fans protest against the bosses’ bizarre argument.
None of the VfB Stuttgart players cheered after the final whistle, and no one could really be happy about the point they saved against 1. FC Heidenheim. “If you’re leading 2-0 at home, you can’t give up a game like that,” said national player Maximilian Mittelstädt disappointedly on DAZN after the wild 3-3 (1-0) in Stuttgart’s anniversary game. With a win, the surprise team could have celebrated their entry into the European Cup.
After that, VfB’s 1000th home game looked like it would have been a tailor-made anniversary for the hosts. After the goals from Serhou Guirassy (41′) and Angelo Stiller (53′), Stuttgart had everything under control. “We’re leading 2-0, but in the end we can’t be satisfied with the draw. We can’t let that go,” said goal scorer Stiller. “If things go really badly, we’ll go into half-time 0-3, we have to be honest about that,” admitted Heidenheim’s Jan-Niklas Beste. With a win, Stuttgart would have been within one point of FC Bayern, and qualification for the European Cup would also have been secured.
Serious mistake from Nübel
But things turned out differently, an own goal after a serious mistake by goalkeeper Alexander Nübel (62′) and a lightning brace from Tim Kleindienst (84′, 85′) turned the game around for Heidenheim, and Deniz Undav saved the point (90’+8′). ) at the last second. Nikola Dovedan (90th + 6) had recently been shown a red card for a serious foul. Now it’s next time for the top game against Borussia Dortmund, with a small setback. BVB won the classic against FC Bayern 2-0 on Saturday and thus moved closer to VfB. Now the gap would shrink to one point if the Swabians lose in Dortmund on Saturday. A serious loss for VfB is the loss of captain and defense chief Waldemar Anton, who will have to take a break next weekend because of his fifth yellow card.
“Of course the starting position could have been a little better,” said Nübel. “Despite everything, I think the pressure is more on the other side. Mega game. We’re looking forward to it.” Amid speculation about his future, the keeper now gave insights into his plans and described staying at VfB as “a very, very good option”. “It’s being analysed, I still have another year at Bayern. But I feel very comfortable here. I think everyone knows that.”
Coach Sebastian Hoeneß changed his successful team once; ex-Dortmunder Mahmoud Dahoud replaced Atakan Karazor and celebrated his starting eleven debut for VfB. The anniversary game was played in front of over 60,000 spectators after the renovation of the European Championship stadium was completed. Hoeneß also relied on his DFB quartet Mittelstädt, Undav, Anton and Chris Führich. He hoped that they would “take the momentum that they brought to the national team with us,” he had said beforehand.
Fans protest, clouds of smoke rise
It looked like that at first, after the goals from Guirassy and Stiller everything pointed to an easy victory. Then Nübel made his mistake, he dropped a header from Kleindienst and the ball rolled over the line to score. However, his team reacted strongly and continued to press offensively. Substitute Silas hit the post (74th), and Kleindienst scored ice-cold on the other side. Undav’s rescue only partially changed the mood.
The raging power struggle at VfB is also depressing the mood. The fans have therefore once again expressed their displeasure against the turbulence in the club’s politics. Black clouds of smoke rose from the fan block after the first minutes of the game. Many supporters in the Cannstatter Kurve also followed the call of the organized fan scene and came to the stadium on Easter Sunday wearing black clothing. Supervisory Board, Investors, Presidium: Enough!”, was one banner, for example. After an initial boycott, the VfB supporters only loudly supported their team after ten minutes.
“Of course the week wasn’t that pleasant for everyone”
The background is a power struggle at the top of the Bundesliga third party. First, President Claus Vogt was voted out of office as head of the AG’s supervisory board, thus breaking a promise made to members over the years that the president of the association should always remain chairman of the supervisory board. As a result, the various sides issued public statements on the conflict. The organized VfB fan scene demanded the resignation of the executive committee. However, Vogt ruled out resigning as president. The new VfB investor Porsche had pushed for the change at the top of the supervisory board, which is now led by Tanja Gönner.
“Of course the week wasn’t that pleasant for everyone,” admitted CEO Alexander Wehrle, who also countered Vogt’s sweeping blow in an interview. He announced that a meeting with everyone involved on Tuesday would also discuss the club’s future structure. Wehrle found clear words about the fans’ protests: “It is the fans’ right to demonstrate and show the protest. We live in a free country. We have also made it clear that the legal form of the AG has nothing to do with 50+1 has. […] Bayern Munich has been a corporation for 25 years and Eintracht Frankfurt has also been a corporation for over 20 years. Now to say that the AG is violating the 50+1 – I’m more than irritated.”