Union versus Hertha
Pyrotechnics and bubbling tensions as the Berlin derby makes its Bundesliga debut with a bang

The game itself was a pretty dull affair. After 87 turgid minutes, Union Berlin were awarded a dubious late penalty courtesy of some obligatory VAR controversy. Sebastian Polter stepped up and bravely converted to earn his side all three points in a Berlin derby that was low on quality, but gloriously and terrifyingly rich in character, context, controversy and drama.
Falling just a week short of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, and with Germany’s capital city never having hosted a Bundesliga derby game, the meeting of newly promoted Union and their more established neighbours Hertha Berlin was an opportunity for celebration. Instead, the match itself only barely survived the atmosphere of hatred and menace in which it was played.

Throughout the evening, the tensions between the rival sets of supporters were at breaking point. At one stage, Union fans produced an elaborate arrangement of their opposition’s flags and shirts, positioned upside down in a gesture of disrespect, which Hertha matched and exceeded by burning their own similar display. During the second half it looked as though the game would have to be abandoned altogether, with play suspended for 6 minutes due to the Hertha supporters’ continual firing of flares onto the field of play.

At full time, Hertha’s supporters resumed firing flares, but when they began to fire them into areas where Union supporters were standing, the tensions boiled over. A group of Union ultras climbed over the fence and onto the pitch, seemingly with the intention of physically confronting their rivals at the other end of the stadium. It was only due to the intervention of Union’s own players that the pitch invasion was eventually stopped, but for a brief moment an evening which had long been eagerly anticipated looked set to disintegrate into violence.
Football’s fiercest rivalries are usually built upon a litany of controversial incidents spanning years of bitter competition, but Berlin’s two biggest clubs have conjured up an intense level of animosity having met in league competition a mere four times. Instead, the discord between Hertha and Union is characterised by a heady mix of highbrow ideological differences and a thuggish attraction towards any excuse for violence.

It was not always so. Founded in the old East-Berlin area of Köpenick, Union’s original raison d’être was to push back against the oppressive might of the German Democratic Republic, and in doing so they earned the respect of their so-near-and-yet-so-far neighbours over the wall. In return, Union fans would travel to watch Hertha play in European competition - against clubs which were from countries on their side of the iron curtain and hence permitted destinations of travel. However, 30 years have passed since the wall’s removal took with it a layer of mystique, and in that time familiarity has bred a deep, deep contempt.
Berlin’s rapid transformation from alternative, techno-punk squat haven to gentrified, tech-startup hub has to some extent been mirrored by football’s steady move away from the values of the traditional match-going fan and towards a prioritisation of global commerce and digital marketing. Amidst this changing landscape, Hertha have found themselves to be suffering an identity crisis, with communication between supporter groups and the club’s hierarchy diminishing. Meanwhile, their continued occupation of the Berlin Olympiastadion is an ongoing source of discontent amongst fans, whose numbers seldom fill three quarters of its vast, sloping walls of grey seats.

Union’s left-wing core values are staunchly at odds with the commercialism that dictates operations at Hertha. Their Stadion An der Alten Forsterei was built by the club’s supporters and whilst compact, provides a cauldron-like setting for each and every sold-out game it hosts. When Hertha suggested staging the inaugural derby on the weekend of Berlin’s reunification celebrations, Union rejected the idea, preferring to emphasise the growing divisions between the two clubs’ philosophies.
However, whilst the fall of the wall has in effect increased the distance between the two clubs, it would be wrong to suggest this as the root cause of Saturday’s unsavoury scenes. The truth is that whilst inner city Berlin is known for liberal-minded diversity, the surrounding area of Brandenburg has seen a worrying rise in the popularity of far-right politics. Ultras are notoriously close-knit, and completely unwilling to divulge information regarding their ideologies to the media, and it should be said that there is not much clear evidence to suggest that either club’s hardcore supporters have fascist leanings. Even so, the wider trend is symptomatic of a social and cultural malaise that is infecting many parts of Europe and beyond, with some comments from politicians in positions of responsibility serving to legitimise acts of violence.
The Bundesliga is often the object of envious glances from the Premier League and La Liga, with affordable tickets prices and passionate stadium atmospheres seen as aspirational in comparison to the often soulless, corporate affairs that the more lucrative divisions broadcast around the globe. However, the Berlin derby served as a warning that whilst tribalism is a key part of football, there is a responsibility in these turbulent times to manage the complex dynamics of sporting rivalries to ensure that things don’t go too far.

On a positive note however, it is to the immense credit of the Union players that their intervention ensured that there were no serious injuries inside the stadium on Saturday. In an era where football laments the diminishing effect that modernisation has on the connection between club and fans, for a night at least der Eisernen stemmed that tide. Moreover, whilst a small minority on either side may have created the negative headlines, it should be said that both sets of supporters did at times during the game give tremendous demonstrations of everything that is great about football fan culture. The Hertha fans’ mass-scale choreography was spectacular to behold, whilst the home support’s raucous displays were poetic and passionate in equal measure.

For the majority, what matters most is that Union Berlin have scored an important victory over their local rivals, one which may prove crucial in their quest for survival in their debut top flight season. Hertha will look to ensure that the favour is repaid when the clubs meet again in the west of the city, and should still expect to finish the season as the higher placed team in the region. Longer term, the question remains as to which aspects of Berlin society the derby will seek to embody.
