There is an old ceremony in German football tradition, and it’s an unpleasant one, but Herta Berlin players were forced to remember and honor it – after the heartless loss to a city rival Union Berlin (1-4), home team footballers were forced to take off their jerseys and lay them before the fan’s stand. It’s not something that happens all the time, in fact it happens very rarely these days, but when you lose to your city rival three times in one season – what can you expect?Berlin derby #Hertha #Union pic.twitter.com/vVNinjVYWO— Adrian Bevington (@ABevington11) April 9, 2022 What’s even worse for the fans was the fact that with this win, their rival Union Berlin has further aggravated Hertha’s path to Bundesliga safety. Famous coach Felix Magat recently took over in a bid to save the club from the first relegation since the 2010/11 season. On the other hand, Union Berlin have been promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history three years ago, and are pushing for a place in European competition for the second year in a row – a stark difference.#hertha-Fans: sagt mal, was nehmt ihr euch eigentlich raus? Der Pisser sollte nie wieder reingelassen werden. Alter, echt. Diese fcking #ultras überall. F*ckt euch einfach. Es gefällt euch nich? Bleibt zuhaus und trinkt ne #Bluna pic.twitter.com/mxYq9HBRHP— 6079 Smith W (@Winston747576) April 9, 2022 After being told to take off their jerseys, fullback Maximilian Mittelstadt and backup keeper Marcel Lotka explained why they had submitted to the ceremony. Almost all Hertha supporters engage in the “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” chants from time to time. What’s more ironic is that both players were one of the better in their team, but nevertheless decided to go with the ceremony, with Mittelstadt confessing he wanted to ‘avoid conflict’.”It’s difficult to explain what took place with the fans. I’d rather not say. It was simply a gesture. It was clear that the fans were angry. That’s why I did it. Against Union in a sold-out house, one expects a better performance than the one we delivered. Of course they’re angry. That’s understandable” a shirtless Mittelstadt told his post-match interviewer afterwards.#Hertha-Fans auf dem Weg zum #Olympiastadion. #Kaiserdamm #Berlin #rbb #Derby #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/Tmm4rU1iNF— rbb|24 (@rbb24) April 9, 2022 It was a similar filing for the excellent young keeper Lotka, who saved his team from even further embarrassment.”The fans gave us everything, even when we were behind they pushed us. Of course, they’re disappointed” said the keeper who will probably join Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.The Berlin Derby #hertha #union #ultras #tifo #ultrastifo #fans | Hertha Berlin – Union Berlin 09.04.2022 https://t.co/rtz9WM0fy4 pic.twitter.com/8y3zgzFhSc— Ultras-Tifo (@UltrasTifo) April 10, 2022 The fans will surely appreciate this gesture from their young players, unlike coach Felix Magat and CEO Fredi Bobic, who disapproved both the tradition and players’ reactions. Hertha has only 5 games left in order to avoid relegation, and three of those opponents are also near the drop, so the German Bundesliga team must look to use that opportunity in order to survive.BUNDESLIGA – ROUND 29FridayStuttgart – Borussia Dortmund 0-2 (0-1)/Brandt 12, 71/SaturdayKoln – Mainz 3-2 (0-1)/Skhiri 60, Ljubicic 78, Kilian 82 – Burkardt 14, Onisiwo 55/Bayern – Augsburg 1-0 (0-0)/Lewandowski 82 pen/Greuther Furth – M’ gladbach 0-2 (0-2)/Thuram 18, Plea 24 pen/Wolfsburg – Bielefeld 4-0 (2-0)/Nmecha 11, 38, Arnold 48, Kruse 53/Hertha – Union Berlin 1-4 (0-1)/Baumgartl (og) 49 – Haraguchi 31, Promel 53, Becker 74, Michel 85/Sunday16:30: (5.00) Bochum (3.70) Leverkusen (1.80)18:30: (2.50) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.35) Freiburg (3.05)20:30: (1.55) RB Leipzig (4.40) Hoffenheim (6.50)***odds are subject to change***
