FC Bayern Worldwide issued a statement on their Facebook account making light of the Emirates Stadium’s SMS service which enables fans to report bad behaviour in the stands
A Bayern Munich fan site has claimed responsibility for a banner displayed in their side’s Champions League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium – and explained the reason behind it.
During the Bundesliga leaders’ 3-1 win over the Gunners, a section of the travelling support was seen holding a sign encouraging the home fans to text a number in order to contact stadium stewards.
Fan site FC Bayern Worldwide has since issued a statement on its Facebook page, explaining that it was intended to mock a system in place at the grounds whereby fans are encouraged to report those behaving badly in the stands.
“We, FC Bayern WorldWide, take responsibility for the banner held up in the first few minutes of the Arsenal-Bayern match last Tuesday. It read: ‘Gooners!! Text (67777) the stewards!’ the note explained.
“For those of you not quite sure about the meaning, Arsenal offer an SMS system, which enables fans to report other fans demonstrating so-called misbehaviour, such as ‘persistent standing’ – the suspect is then escorted out of the stadium.
“We were helpful enough to print the number under which the stewards could be contacted (67777), however, we unfortunately do not know how many Arsenal fans did end up complaining about the ‘rowdy’ Bayern supporters.
“The exaggerated security scares in Germany are troublesome enough for keeping our fan culture alive, but English Premier League clubs demonstrate a whole new level.
“The text messaging service enabling stadium-goers to ‘tell’ on fellow fans is the pinnacle of recent efforts to solidify the change in demographics in football stands throughout the UK.
“Without wanting to sound like moral preachers, we’d like to remind English fans that complaining about high-priced tickets etc. on internet forums is not enough.
“If you want your atmospheres back, you’ve got to underline your words with actions! Instead of using an SMS service to grass on other fans, stand together and sing, prevent the stewards from pulling out fellow standing fans and make your discontent at high ticket prices seen and heard live!”
The group ended their statement with an additional jibe at the Gunners crowd, stating: “On a brighter note, the Bayern fans turned the away game into a home game through their fantastic support and with the help of a largely quiet English crowd, which may have been dazzled by the biggest pyro show in the history of English football (as the players walked onto the pitch).”