Boycott: Union keeper criticizes fans

Rafal Gikiewicz has criticised the fans of Union Berlin for wanting to remain silent in the initial phase of the first Bundesliga match of the Iron League on Sunday against RB Leipzig.

“Your planned boycott in the first 15 minutes is not good for us players. You’re welcome to do a choreo or anything else. We players, together with you fans, have to show our opponent that this is our place, our house. You must feel: ‘Welcome to Hell’,” wrote Union keeper Gikiewicz on Instagram.

Some fans have announced a mood boycott for the game. The occasion is the management philosophy of the opponent RBL. “It’s a matter of continuing to carry the protest consistently into the stadium and showing that we don’t agree with the idea of football in Leipzig,” was the statement of a Unioner Ultras group.

Union President Dirk Zingler is therefore worried. “I’m a bit afraid that too many topics will be spun around us that have less to do with sport. We do ourselves no favours and should be careful that no halo is placed on us from the outside. Well, we’re not really as much different as others Profivereine,” said the 54-year-old.