In the days leading up to the game, it is not possible to say exactly how many Werder fans will end up making their way to the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Saturday. What is certain, however, is that there will be many. According to Werder’s current estimate, between 18,000 and 25,000 Bremen supporters could watch the away game at Hertha BSC in the stadium, which poses organizational challenges for both clubs and the Berlin police.
At the heart of it all: a fan march planned by Werder supporters from the Berlin radio tower in the west end across the city to the Olympic Stadium, a good three kilometers away. “This march has been somewhat restricted by the police,” said Werder’s media director Christoph Pieper on Thursday. After a security meeting that took place in Berlin on Tuesday, the club was informed.
In order to prevent a meeting with Hertha fans, who are also planning a march to the stadium, the Bremen supporters should now walk one and a half kilometers in the opposite direction to the “Messe Süd” S-Bahn station and from there take the train to the stadium drive. Which apparently not all Werder fans agree with. As our DeichStube found out from the Berlin police, an elevator (title: “The demand for freedom of movement and civil rights also for football fans”) with 1000 participants was officially registered by a private person on Wednesday, which should run from the radio tower to the Olympic Stadium. “Currently there are no reasons against it,” says the police, who cannot simply ban such a lift against the background of freedom of assembly.
Route still needs to be checked
Werder had already warned their fans on their own website a few days ago that they should “absolutely avoid” the “Theodor-Heuss-Platz” underground station on the way to the radio tower. The reason: Hertha fans meet at Theodor-Heuss-Platz, which is in the immediate vicinity of the radio tower on Hammarskjöldplatz, for their march to the stadium. “There will be a police barrier between Theodor-Heuss-Platz and Hammarskjöldplatz, which will not be able to be overcome,” the club also announced.
The route of the elevator registered on Wednesday runs in the direction of Theodor-Heuss-Platz, but then turns off beforehand, leading through a residential area before it is supposed to go via Heerstrasse and Flatowalle to the Olympic Stadium. According to the police, the route still has to be checked, and a change in the route is quite conceivable. Consultation should be held with the applicant for the lift in the near future.
One thing is certain: at the Olympic Stadium, the participants in the modified fan march and elevator will meet a number of other green and white fans. When asked by our DeichStube, Hertha BSC announced on Thursday that the Bremen supporters had fully exhausted the quota of 7,500 tickets made available for the guest area. “In the sale, we can also see that the blocks next to the guest area will be well filled and Werder fans will certainly be there,” it continues. However, the Hertha estimate in terms of the number of fans in Bremen is significantly lower than that of Werder: the bottom of the league expects 12,000 to 15,000 guest fans. The Olympic Stadium is said to be sold out with 75,000 spectators, which is very rarely the case in Berlin.
