How Supporters Love Their Club, Hannover 96

This incident started on Sunday (27/8/17), the match against Schalke04 was held at the AWD-Arena Stadium which was packed because of the presence of Hannover 96 fans who were very loyal to support wherever the club competed.

Hannover 96 Supporters, image : The Guardian

In this match, Hannover played very well throughout the match. The goal scored by Jonathas de Jesus in the 67th minute, led Hannover to win the match with a score of 1-0.

But there was no celebration or euphoria from supporters over Hannover's victory. On the contrary, the supporters protested and shouted curse words and unfurled banners expressing their disappointment with the club's management.

Until the words came out: "The first match at home actually felt like an away match," said the coach, Andre Breitenreiter.

The supporters' protest was directed at the club management, especially the President of the Hannover 96 club, Martin Kind. The supporters' anger stems from a decision issued by the club's Supervisory Board, which at that time decided to divest 51% of its shares in early August 2017.

The act of divesting shares allowed Martin Kind to take full control of the club, by asking the German football federation for dispensation not to follow the 50+1 rule.

The 50+1 rule is a rule that states that one person or entity is not allowed to control more than 49% of the shares in a club. This aims to prevent the sale of majority shares to outside investors, protect the club from irresponsible owners, and to maintain the democratic values ​​of German clubs whose ownership is controlled by supporters.

Meanwhile, what happened at Hannover 96 was the opposite. As the release of the 51% stake was carried out by the club's Supervisory Board, Martin Kind submitted an application to the German football federation to be granted an exemption from the 50+1 rule in order to be able to control the majority of the club's shares. This is what Hannover 96 supporters oppose.

Those who protested Kind's move, formed a group called "Pro Verein 1896". Apart from criticizing Kind through the banners and shouts they unfurled in the stadium, banners reading "Kind must go!", "Democracy>Monarchy", and "There is no good without participation" were installed and stretched widely in the corners of the AWD-Arena during the match.

Pro Verein 1896 also fought by taking firm action to report the incident to the regional court, but the court rejected their report.

Even though it was rejected by the regional court, Pro Verein 1896 would never give up easily. They are still trying to prevent Kind's steps.

What Hannover 96 supporters are trying to prevent Martin Kind from taking complete control of the club reflects their great love for Hannover 96.

This is something that must be remembered as proof of the supporters' love for Hannover 96, considering that when this club was first formed, the people of Hannover were not very interested in football. Their greatest interest is in athletics.