A good six years ago, football in Europe celebrated a sensational champion: Leicester City surprisingly won the Premier League. Is this fairy tale repeating itself in the Bundesliga? Nobody knows, but at least Union Berlin is not giving up - and is, well, funny.
The best of many very good news for Union Berlin in these wonderful days is: Monday in a week's time the club from Berlin-Köpenick will still be ahead of the industry giants Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. After nine match days, the lead is actually so big that the title favorites cannot pass. This is, let's call it by its name, a sensation. Point.
And the situation in the league could worsen dramatically next Sunday. Because Union can sneak away from the black and yellow with a win in the local Alte Försterei against BVB on seven points. So stealthily, quietly and silently, how they move through the defenses of this world with their reduced, but so impressively effective approach, while closing in at the back. Whether FC Bayern will also have to be demolished to seven points will also be decided on Sunday in a duel with sensational second-placed SC Freiburg. Crazy. All.
Actually nothing fits together with the iron ones. You're still talking about wanting to collect 40 points to stay up. They have long since outgrown the relegation battle. That they strive to keep the surreal ascent, which seems to know no limits, still on a serious path is an honorable approach. However, nobody in the Köpenicker environment is concerned with what a train journey to the away game in Heidenheim would cost in the future after the price increase. Maybe Manchester (City, of course) or Paris (St. Germain, of course) will be googled.
A tweet from the Unioner social media department from late Sunday evening fits in with this. In response to the DAZN statement that the Berliners (the Unioners, so that there are no misunderstandings) are leaders, the Twitter team demanded: "Super League now!" 1032 people like this. Or even a few people more now. Everything goes so fast. But the question must be allowed? What's going on at the cult club from Köpenick? Megalomaniac change of heart? arrogance fit? Departing from your own beliefs? No certainly not! Just a little self-mockery. Leading the table is fun.
Because the situation in Köpenick is like this: They despise the Super League. When the plans for this monster of greed failed for the time being last spring, after a crazy push by Real Madrid, Union boss Dirk Zingler cheered, who in the same breath spoke out in favor of maintaining the 50 1 rule. In an article for the "Berliner Zeitung" he wrote: "Cap it! Transfer fees, player salaries, consultant fees - caps on spending can help us to escape the deadly growth spiral. The 50 1 rule prevents the unlimited influence of shareholders and is a good that is worth protecting when you think and organize football for people."
And to the Super League mastermind Florentino Pérez, President of Real Madrid, he addressed a poisoned-friendly greeting: "Dear Señor Pérez, don't be afraid: the overbred football monsters who only got 3.5 billion euros from a Super League must die before they completely devour the most beautiful sport in the world." The mighty Madrilenian had lamented that his club could only be kept alive with the help of the Super League. The fact that Real won the Champions League a year later, without any super fuss, should have deprived Pérez of a few arguments.
Anyway, back to Union. Back to the Bundesliga leaders who brings back a memory of Leicester City. In early summer 2016, the "Foxes" completed their fairy tale in the Premier League. Jamie Vardy and his colleagues were unstoppable. Not from Chelsea, who at that time had been fed Roman Abramovich's insane millions and only ended a hell of a season in tenth place. The Russian oligarch has since had to sell. In the wake of international sanctions against the super-rich friends of warmonger Vladimir Putin. And not from Arsenal, Tottenham, the Manchester clubs and Liverpool, who only ended the debut season of successful coach Jürgen Klopp in eighth place.
At the Wuhle (info service: the small stream next to the stadium) they are still a long way from such fairy tale fantasies. Even if in distant Stuttgart, where VfB was defeated 1-0 on Sunday evening, tender "German champion will only be the FCU" chants had been intoned. Like after the 1-1 draw against Bayern some time ago. Coach Urs Fischer, the Swiss composure, confessed: "For me, the table is particularly meaningful after the 34th matchday." He is currently happy about the 20 points he has already achieved. Half the battle for staying up. And greetings from your own social media department: "Congratulations on the mountain festival, Unioner!"
