The Ultras of Rot-Weiss Essen stayed away from the Lower Rhine Cup final between RWE and RWO. What impact did this have on the atmosphere at Hafenstraße?

Over 18,000 spectators ensured a great atmosphere in the stadium on Hafenstraße for the Lower Rhine Cup final between Rot-Weiss Essen and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.

The stadium was as good as sold out. Only one or two seats in the east stand remained empty. So everything as usual? No, because the banners of the Essen Ultra scene, which are usually always present at an RWE home game, were missing from the west stand.

A reaction to the currently somewhat tense situation between the club management and the Ultras? The RWE bosses recently made an unusual move to curb the fines that the club has to pay due to the misconduct of its supporters. In the current season, the club has had to pay almost 75,000 euros for offenses committed by its own supporters.

RWE made a proposal to its Ultras. They were to receive a small quota of tickets for the last away games – especially for the last match at VfB Lübeck. In return, the Ultras should agree to refrain from pyrotechnics in the current round, for example.

The response was clear: “No deal” was the reaction to the proposal. The active fan scene rejected it and put on a pyro show in Sandhausen. The issue is not yet off the table. And how was the atmosphere in the stadium against Oberhausen? For large parts of the game, this didn’t dampen the atmosphere at Hafenstrasse. The other supporters jumped into the breach. The stadium was as loud as ever and cheered on Christoph Dabrowski’s team frenetically, especially during the pressure phases. Long-time soccer connoisseurs at Hafenstrasse even said that the cheering was more spontaneous than usual. “We’ll win the cup without the Ultras” chanted the fans in the second half after the 2:0.

In any case, it remains exciting to see how this scenario develops.

Update: Marcus Steegmann, Director of Professional Football at Rot-Weiss Essen, was in the stands during the half-time break of the match against Oberhausen to discuss the Ultras’ boycott. After the 3-0 cup win, Steegmann said in the mixed zone: “We had a close bond between the fans and the team throughout the season. I didn’t go into detail, I just said that we need maximum support for a game like this. There was a lot at stake for us. But you must have had a very controversial discussion yourself within the fan groups, there was also a vote. I think it’s a bit of a shame, but we will continue to intensify the exchange.”