Rot-Weiss Essen will face Hibernian FC in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Wednesday. Seventy years ago, both clubs were among the world’s elite.
On Tuesday morning, German visitors to the Scottish capital Edinburgh need more than just road signs to find Grassmarket. Numerous stickers from fans of third-division soccer club Rot-Weiss Essen pave the way to the vibrant cultural center of this major city. Grassmarket is located in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, where numerous tourists stroll through the narrow streets on the cobblestones during the day. On Tuesday evening, the colors red and white will dominate here, as RWE fans gather for a fan meeting one day before Wednesday’s friendly match (7 p.m.) against Scottish first division club Hibernian FC. Many of the more than 2,000 RWE fans who have traveled to Scotland plan to get in the mood for the game in the pubs. Wolfgang Sykorra (80) would also have liked to attend this special event for Rot-Weiss Essen. However, he told this newspaper that he had to forego the trip to Scotland due to his fear of flying and his age. “It was too difficult for me. But I thought long and hard about doing it.”
The match in Edinburgh has a very special significance for the Essen native. When the two clubs met 70 years ago at Hafenstraße in the newly founded European Cup, he was there live in the stadium as a ten-year-old. At least for one half. The boy, who grew up in the Bergeborbeck district of Essen, couldn’t afford the admission fee. You could get in for free for the second half, Sykorra recalls. “The checks weren’t as strict as they are today. You could get in easily at half-time.” Sykorra and his companions were not happy with the result. In the first leg, RWE lost 4-0 in pouring rain without their star players Helmut Rahn and Penny Islacker, thus depriving themselves of any chance of advancing. In the return leg, Essen celebrated a respectable result, fighting back to earn a 1-1 draw. As German champions in 1955, RWE were the first DFB team to qualify for this competition. Rot-Weiss Essen was eliminated in the first round, while the Scots reached the semi-finals. The first winner was Spanish world club Real Madrid. Seventy years ago, RWE was still playing among the big boys.
Little interest in the national championship competition
Interest in the forerunner of the Champions League was not great at the time, at least not in Essen. There were no more than 5,000 spectators in the stadium. Not even the Borbecker Nachrichten newspaper announced the game in its edition, according to our contemporary witness. “It was the very first edition of this competition, and people were not yet familiar with European soccer. RWE played with a reinforced reserve team, without Helmut Rahn. It wasn’t that important. There was more going on against Fortuna Düsseldorf or Alemannia Aachen.” Looking back, Sykorra, who was director of the Borbeck Gymnasium before retiring, is happy that he was at Hafenstraße on September 14, 1955. The European Cup became more popular every year, and today the Champions League is a billion-dollar business. “I’m very happy that I was there to witness it, even if I couldn’t appreciate its significance at the time. Rot-Weiss Essen was involved in laying the foundation stone for the Champions League.”
RWE was unable to build on the successes of the past. Its first appearance in the European Cup was also its last, although friendly opponents Hibernian Edinburgh will at least be playing for a place in the Europa League in the new season. The two clubs will now meet again to mark the 125th anniversary of the “Hibs.” RWE has been invited by the Scots to celebrate the occasion.
Rot-Weiss Essen was often the topic of discussion in class
Wolfgang Sykorra always followed the development of his home club. He and many of his former classmates have had a close connection to Rot-Weiss Essen for over 60 years. Former students report that he always dedicated the last five minutes of his lessons to RWE.
As a third-division club, RWE is still a long way from its former glory, but its current positive run, including second place in the second half of last season, has helped attract more than 2,000 RWE fans to an international friendly in Edinburgh and sold out all 11,907 season tickets for the new season in just a few days. Football fever has broken out again in Essen. “Over 2,000 are traveling to Scotland, which has blown me away,” emphasizes Sykorra.
The teacher, who has a doctorate, is therefore optimistic about the coming season. Coach Uwe Koschinat has the team under control. The discipline demanded by the coach can be seen on the pitch. “I’m very euphoric at the moment when it comes to RWE.”
Wolfgang Sykorra will watch Wednesday evening’s game via the live stream offered by both clubs. The die-hard fan would have loved to have been there for the celebrations at Grassmarket and Easter Road Stadium. However, Sykorra can console himself with the fact that he experienced the original live 70 years ago.