Ultras from Rot-Weiss Essen took a stand against essendiese during the Unterhaching match on Saturday. Fans were reportedly even denied access to the block.
The jerseys sold like hot cakes among many Rot-Weiss Essen supporters. However, an idea from the meme site essendiese was apparently not well received by the club’s Ultras.
On Saturday evening, during the 3:1 defeat against SpVgg Unterhaching, they raised the mood against essendiese and especially the jerseys that the operators of an Instagram page had launched on the market during the week in collaboration with the club with several banners.
“Red and white are our colors,” read a banner from the Essen Ultras Vandalz. Other banners read: “Our fundraising campaign wasn’t worth a post to you. A traditional jersey dishonored because of a meme page.”
The criticism was apparently directed against Rot-Weiss Essen as well as essendiese. Together, they released a jersey in Essen’s city colors blue and yellow during the week. In doing so, they used a design that had already existed a good three decades ago – back then in the traditional colors of RWE. However, according to reports from fans, it did not stop at banners. According to information from this editorial team and forum entries from fans, people wearing the blue and yellow essendiese jerseys were even denied access to the W2 atmosphere block on Saturday.
The makers of essendiese commented on the banners in the West Curve on Saturday evening, which they themselves visit at almost every home game. “We appreciate the social commitment of the active fan scene and have already donated to various campaigns ourselves or drawn attention to them,” they wrote in their Instagram story. “We have always been treated respectfully and reasonably in personal contacts. As essendiese, we earn next to nothing from selling jerseys. By far the largest amount stays with the club. The rest is donated to Essener Chancen,” the makers announced.
Essendiese has become an Instagram phenomenon in Essen in a very short space of time. The three operators of this Instagram page have organized a successor to the Rü-Fest in recent months. They have also collaborated with Essen’s Stauder brewery and run a club on Rüttenscheider Straße. Robin, Leon and Lukas, the always masked creators of the meme page “Essen diese”, emphasize that they want to give the younger people in Essen a voice.
Apparently with success. Politicians have long since taken notice. Mayor Thomas Kufen, for example, was present at the opening of a pop-up store when the jerseys were sold in Essen’s city center. The jerseys sold like hot cakes during the week.
The aim of the jersey was to create a “unique tribute” to the city of Essen
Only a few of the 4500 jerseys are still available. Many RWE fans were enthusiastic about the idea of using the city colors to bring together both the city and the club in one jersey. “Blue and yellow aren’t really my colors,” confessed a young woman during the week when she bought the jersey. But buying a jersey is about solidarity with the club and the city.
Marcus Uhlig, CEO of RWE, also said this when the project was presented: “Rot-Weiss Essen and essendiese are well-known institutions in the city.” The aim of the jersey is to create a “unique homage” to the city of Essen. The shirt is not only intended as a classic jersey for soccer fans. “Designed in the city colors, it should be much more a piece of clothing for everyone who loves Essen just as much and feels as at home here as we do,” said Uhlig.