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“Semper flagless” – fan provocations during the thriller against RWO

Alemannia Aachen defeated Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 3:1 – and the Aacheners also gave their rivals a run for their money in the stands.

There was plenty on offer on the pitch in Alemannia Aachen’s 3:1 win over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. A goal from Nils Winter (7th), a free-kick from Anton Heinz (39th) and the second goal from the former Oberhausen player (47th) sealed the victory for Aachen. Christian März scored for RWO (87′).

Away from the pitch, the fan groups in the stands also made a few banners. The Alemannia fans provoked the Oberhausen supporters with an allusion to the past.

Some masked Aachen fans displayed a banner that read “Semper flagless”. The banner was painted in the style of the fence flag of the RWO fan group “Semper fidelis”. Loosely translated, the Aacheners wrote: “Always flagless”.

The background: When RWO played against 1. FC Köln II at the Franz Kremer Stadium in August 2022, “Semper Fidelis” was also on site and had hung its flag on the visitors’ fence. Suspected Cologne fans disguised as stewards ran to the front of the visitors’ block shortly before the end of the match, tore down the flag and took it to the Cologne fan block.

RWO: “Semper fidelis” had not disbanded after the loss of the flag

In ultra culture, the theft of a flag or loss of a fence flag by a fan group often results in the group in question disbanding. This happened, for example, with the “Boyz Köln”. Their fence flag was stolen by thieves disguised as FC Köln fans at an away match in Hoffenheim in March 2018. They were presumably fans of rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, in whose fan curve the flag was later displayed

Points Table
Points Table

“Semper fidelis” decided not to take this step and returned for the Lower Rhine Cup match against MSV Duisburg at the end of September 2022. Since then, “Semper fidelis” has reappeared as a group at RWO matches.

The Aacheners made it clear that they wanted to allude to the breaking of this unwritten rule with another banner: “For 20 years we have been making ourselves straight. In that time, you’ll be painting the gambled flag again. “

By Klaus