Contents
Steep rise and attractive football. But rejected by a large part of the Bundesliga fans: YB opponent RB Leipzig is controversial. Former goalie Fabio Coltorti provides insights.
Leipzig’s rapid rise from Germany’s fourth highest league to the Bundesliga began in 2012. Right in the middle: Swiss goalie Fabio Coltorti. The current football pensioner led the club, which was only founded in 2009, into the top league together with fellow goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
His winning goal against Darmstadt in the promotion race in 2015 will never be forgotten (he missed out on promotion that summer), which essentially made him a club icon.
Today, Coltorti, who lives in Marbella, Spain, still looks back fondly on his time in Leipzig. He was convinced of the controversial marketing project early on. “The club was already very professionally set up and organized in the 4th league – better than GC in Switzerland or Racing Santander in Spain,” explains Coltorti, drawing a comparison with two of his former clubs.
Leipzig like Leverkusen or Wolfsburg
RB Leipzig is no ordinary club. It is the powerful football flagship of the omnipresent beverage manufacturer Red Bull, which has quickly grown into an empire – created solely for the purpose of marketing, critics complain.
We even needed a security team in the 4th league; there were always fights with the fans.
Coltorti was and is aware that a lot of money flows from the company into the club’s coffers. “But I don’t see it as a ‘construct’ at all or advertising team experienced.” The 42-year-old uses Leverkusen and Wolfsburg as a comparison – clubs that also have a corporation in the background: “These clubs are similar projects, but they have been running like this for decades and are now normal. As a child, I didn’t look at who the sponsor was, I distributed my sympathies based on what I saw on TV. Leipzig will be like that in 10, 20 or 30 years and the issue will become less important.”
In-form Leipzig are clear favorites against YB
At the moment, Leipzig still seems to be a long way from being at the top of the popularity list among Bundesliga fans. But things used to be even worse, remembers Coltorti. “We even needed a security team in the 4th league, there were always fights with the fans. There was a real hatred towards us, be it through spitting, kicking or insults.”
As a child, I didn’t look at who the sponsor was, I distributed my sympathies based on what I saw on TV.
Leipzig has always played attractive football, relies on young, talented players and plans cleverly and for the long term. Above all, the former mastermind Ralf Rangnick left a big (positive) mark and pushed the project forward.
With 4 wins from the first 5 competitive games, the two-time DFB Cup winner also got off to an extremely convincing start this season. At the next stopover on Tuesday at the start of the Champions League in Wankdorf in Bern against the Young Boys, the Germans are the clear favorites.
Despite all the quality and competence: the accusation of the marketing project is difficult to refute. RB Leipzig will probably remain an excellently managed premium product that guarantees attractive and successful football, but undermines the basic values of many fans.