The whole of Hamburg knows how emotional this game will be: three days after the death of football legend Uwe Seeler, HSV will commemorate the greatest player in the club's history in the home game against Rostock. Fans, players and officials provide goosebump moments.
With an impressive fan choreography, special jerseys and many emotional gestures, Hamburger SV commemorated their club icon Uwe Seeler. Three days after Seeler's death, the focus was on remembering the HSV legend at the home game in the 2nd Bundesliga against FC Hansa Rostock in Hamburg's Volksparkstadion.
With two banners, the ultras and most loyal fans honored their idol in the north stand before kick-off, who had scored around 1,400 goals in almost 1,300 games for HSV since youth: "Loyal and humble - the greatest of all time" and "R.i.P. Uwe Seeler ", was to be read there. Then the north stand formed the name "Uns Uwe" in white in a sea of black cardboard.
Club representatives from both clubs had previously placed two large wreaths in the center circle. Immediately before the kick-off, the pros and club representatives from HSV and Hansa Rostock held a banner together: "Us Uwe - athletes. HSVer. Man." There was a minute's silence in the stadium, which gave way to applause.
The HSV team wore special jerseys especially for this game. Instead of the name of the new main sponsor, "UNS UWE" was written on the players' chests, and Seeler's former shirt number 9 adorned the left sleeve of the jersey. In addition, the shirt numbers of the HSV professionals included another, small number 9 in white. The shirts are later auctioned off to benefit the Uwe-Seeler-Foundation. The black warm-up shirts also depicted Seeler.
Hours before kick-off, it was clear around the stadium that it was a special day and a special game for HSV. The Hamburg fans, mostly dressed in black, went to the venue calmly and in mourning. The oversized bronze foot of Seeler on the north-east corner of the stadium became a place of pilgrimage. Devotees laid wreaths, flowers and scarves and stood in a circle of devotion. A fan in a pink jersey with the name Seeler and the number 9 on the back held his girlfriend in his arms and sobbed.
