Singer Herbert Grönemeyer celebrates a Borussia Dortmund goal. Some VfL Bochum fans react irritated to the praise of the “Bochum” singer.

Both teams are eagerly awaiting the “little Revierderby”: On Friday (8:30 p.m.), VfL Bochum welcomes Borussia Dortmund, which is based just a few kilometers away. A duel with explosive power. BVB is top of the table after its 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, while VfL Bochum is deep in the relegation battle after its 1-5 loss to VfL Wolfsburg. On Friday, the anthem of Herbert Grönemeyer will sound in the Ruhrstadion in Bochum, as always. “Deep in the West…”, will once again resound from the loudspeakers. The song “Bochum” by the 67-year-old Grönemeyer is part of the VfL game, an absolute cult.

But Grönemeyer, noble fan of VfL Bochum, also seems to appreciate the goals of the future opponent. “A goal like gMalen!”, he commented on Instagram about Dortmund’s Donyell Malen’s goal to make it 4-0. Grönemeyer had been following the game on a laptop and had seen how Malen had ensured the preliminary decision in the 66th minute. Sebastien Haller first won the duel with Makoto Hasebe on a long ball and forwarded the ball to the fast Karim Adeyemi. The international passed the ball on to Malen, and the Dutchman confidently finished into the bottom left-hand corner of the penalty area on the right. A beautiful goal – as Grönemeyer also saw it.

Fans of VfL Bochum are irritated

Fans of VfL Bochum, however, saw the praise of the Bochum icon differently. “This makes the maximum disappointment today complete,” wrote a VfL fan after the photo was published. “I have to process that first…” another. Others reacted more level-headedly: “Maybe Herbert, like most people, doesn’t want Bayern to become German champion for the 100th time in a row. Is certainly no reason for a state drama.” Or: “Better Dortmund than Bayern, and I say that as a Bochumer!”

Sporting is before the derby construction work at VfL Bochum is required. Once again. Like after the 0:2 against Schalke, after which there were seven points from three games. Like after the 2:3 against Stuttgart, after which VfL got a 1:1 at Union Berlin. The belief in the stand-up mentality, along with winless competition, is a glimmer of hope in the relegation battle. “We continue to have it in our own hands. We have enough quality to still get the points,” said Bochum’s Simon Zoller. Now it’s on to Friday against BVB. But before kickoff, Grönemeyer’s “Bochum” will be playing.