Bayer Leverkusen sealed their first ever Bundesliga title after a 5-0 win vs. Werder Bremen.

During the celebrations, green smoke could be seen on the pitch.

What’s behind it, and what does it have to do with homophobic, anti-queer messages by #Bayer04’s ultras?

Thread 1/14 Werder Bremen’s and Leverkusen’s ultra groups don’t exactly like each other, to say the least.

One of the clearest expressions of it are a series of insulting banners shown in both ends when the two clubs played each other. 2/14

A Israeli-owned hummus bar in Leipzig remained shut on Friday due to Hamas’ call to attack Israeli/Jewish targets worldwide.

Some Chemie Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt ultras heard about it, dropped by and told the owner they’re keeping him & his business safe, he told LVZ. 1/2 Ultras from both Chemie Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt hold a long-year friendship.

Last Friday, the Bundesliga side came to Leipzig to play a friendly against their friends.

Large parts of both fan scenes are known to hold an anti-racist stance. 2/2

As part of my employer’s budget cuts, I’m about to lose a large part of my income.

They say any crisis is also a chance, so here goes: I’m open for new opportunities.

A thread with some of the issues I’ve covered over the years. 1/21 My passion as a journalist is fan culture with all of its facets and complications.

Here, I wrote how Nürnberg’s ultras helped a terminally ill child and his mother. 2/21

https://twitter.com/ftamsut/status/1181458926744813569

What you see here is Werder Bremen taking a clear stance against the police repression against their own ultra groups, which have decided to return home due to the “intensive search measures” applied against their ultras at the main train station in Wolfsburg. 1/5

https://twitter.com/werderbremen/status/1555876551903805440

Police in Wolfsburg say they have set controls at the main train station to “prevent clashes between fan groups.” Important to note there’s no rivalry between the two clubs and, according to Werder Bremen, both clubs had told police the game is safe. 2/5

Mainz and 1860 Munich are set to play pre-season friendlies vs. Newcastle.

Now, voices from both sets of supporters are for the games to be canceled on human rights grounds.

When fans take a stand against sportwashing, thread. 1/15 #NUFC On July 15, Premier League side Newcastle will play a pre-season friendly against 1860 Munich from Germany's third division.

Three days later, they’ll face Bundesliga side Mainz. 2/15

Eintracht Frankfurt & their fans have made the headlines due to their European away followings.

Ahead of their Europa League final vs. Rangers, here’s what you need to know about #SGE, their fans and the city behind all the madness.

Buckle up.

(Thread 1/21) #SGERFC #UELFinal 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗻

Like most clubs in Germany, Eintracht Frankfurt are controlled by the club’s members.

#SGE members who attend the club's AGM get to have a say on various issues, including voting for the club’s president on a one-member-one-vote basis. 2/21

A Bayern Munich member has filed a motion for the club not to prolong its sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.

The motion will be discussed at the club’s AGM in November.

About fans with a moral conscience and their power in a democratically-run club, background thread. 1/15 Bayern Munich’s fan & ultra groups have been protesting against the sponsorship agreement with Qatar pretty much from day one.

Some of the many banners: "Human rights fly through the window with Qatar Airways!"
"Football's ugly face: Those who take blood money from Qatar!" 2/15

“FC St. Pauli sends greetings to the Hahn flyer service,” read the adboard at #FCSP’s Millerntor as they faced Dynamo Dresden.

The thing is… this company doesn’t really exist.

What's the story behind it, and what does it have to do with the far-right AfD party?

Thread, 1/8 Until September 26, Germany was in election campaign mode.

As the campaign was in full swing, the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose members have repeatedly made racist, Holocaust demeaning remarks, received an offer it couldn’t refuse. 2/8

Fortuna Düsseldorf’s ultras are running an auction in support of local organizations against depression.

This is the story behind it.

When socially-engaged ultra groups turn personal tragedy into making a difference by raising awareness on mental health, thread.

1/15 #F95 First of all, trigger warning:

Suicide, depression, mental health. 2/15

Bayern Munich players with an advert for Qatar Airways singing "Ain't No Sunshine When You're Gone" to their fans.

Think this is a good time to remind ourselves what many of Bayern Munich's match-going fan & ultra groups think of the club's Qatar dealings.

Thread. 1/14 "The ugliest face of Bayern Munich is being shown by those who take blood money from Qatar and the likes!" 2/14

The Unity, Borussia Dortmund’s most well-known ultra group, recently celebrated their 20th birthday.

Thread about who they are, what they stand for and why #BVB thanked them despite them being critical of their own club on numerous occasions.

(1/21) #nonazisdo The Unity were established on January 16, 2001.

In the beginning, they were just a group of young fans who organized in one of the Südtribüne’s upper blocks.

Here’s one of their first choreos from 2001, back then still in block 82 on the upper part of the Südtribüne. (2/21)

In recent years, fan and ultra groups in Germany used the matchdays ahead of Christmas to provide help to those in need.

Despite not being able to attend games due to #COVID19, many groups still keep the tradition going.

Football fans in the community, a rolling thread. 1/23 Bayer Leverkusen’s Nordkurve collects donations for the city’s pubs, cafes and restaurants hit by the second lockdown in Germany.

(Via @NK12eV) 2/23

https://twitter.com/NK12eV/status/1325397061110534144

Jubos, one of Borussia Dortmund’s main ultra groups, have reportedly dissolved.

This is worrying for two very, very different reasons.

Thread on fan culture in #COVID19 times, commercialization and the fight against the far right in the city of Dortmund.

1/21 #BVB #nonazisdo Jubos (Junge Borussen, or “Young Borussia Fans”) were established in 2005.

Along with The Unity and Desperados, they were one of Borussia Dortmund’s three main ultra groups.

Jubos’ main focus was the fight against football’s commercialization. 2/21

It's derby day in Hamburg, and only 1,000 fans will be allowed into the Volksparkstadion due to #COVID19.

Here's what a matchday between HSV and FC St. Pauli looks like under normal circumstances.

#HSVFCSP #HSV #FCSP (Thread, 1/14) A normal derby day in Hamburg:

When even the training grounds are full. 2/14

Match-going fans are currently excluded from football due to #COVID19. Executives, however, are still at it.

Long thread about two alarming developments involving fans and the network of support offered to them which could significantly affect Germany's fan culture. (1/22) Meet the Fanprojekt (FP), a form of social work developed around young football fans in Germany over the past 30 years.

The FP’s staff are completely independent and are not committed to a club, associations or police.

At the center of their work: Being there for fans. 2/22

Bayern Munich vs. PSG.

Qatar-sponsored vs. Qatar-owned.

Think it’s as good a time as any to remind ourselves what’s behind the football.

The #Qlassico, human rights and sportswashing, the Bayern Munich angle. (Thread 1/17)

#PSGFCB #PSGBayern #FCBayern #UCLFinal Workers’ rights. 2/17

https://twitter.com/ftamsut/status/1070005680646643713

Bayern Munich's ultra scene is one of the most engaged when it comes to fighting homophobia, sexism, antisemitism, human rights.

I find it genuinely worrying that a protest for fan rights results in a crackdown on them, and you should be, too.

Fan culture analysis thread.

https://twitter.com/ftamsut/status/1234060545445302274

Bayern Munich’s ultra scene, especially Schickeria, their biggest ultra group, have been acknowledged (including by the DFB itself) in the past for their engagement against discrimination, for human rights in Qatar and for Holocaust remembrance.