Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Borussia Monchengladbach fans to stage silent RB Leipzig protest

Borussia Monchengladbach supporters will remain silent for the first 19 minutes of their match at RB Leipzig on Wednesday in protest at the "artificial product" created by their opponents.

RB Leipzig have faced protests since their promotion to the top tier because soft drink manufacturer Red Bull funded their meteoric rise since founding the club in 2009. 

"The artificial product created by Red Bull depicts a new dimension of damnability," Gladbach's fan project said in a statement on their official website, arguing that RB Leipzig had been set up to sell a product.

"Participation and a lively fan culture are not wanted in this construct -- only the consumption of the product," they said of the club, which has only has 17 members eligible to vote.

A German Football League (DFL) rule says clubs must be controlled by their members and cannot be taken over by private investors, having to be owned 50 percent plus one -- a majority -- by members.

Gladbach will take around 5,000 fans to Leipzig, and they have chosen to stay silent until the 19th minute in recognition of their club's founding year, 1900.

Sporting director Max Eberl told reporters: "I can understand the fans' protest, but I am delighted that they will only remain silent for 19 minutes and then we'll have their support for 71 minutes."

RB Leipzig's first few weeks in the upper tier have been accompanied by protests from fans of every club they have played.

Many Borussia Dortmund fans chose not to travel to Leipzig, while Hamburg fans demonstrated against them last weekend.

Before the league season was underway, Dynamo Dresden fans registered their distaste for their local rivals during a DFB Pokal clash when they threw a severed cow's head from the stands.

Three match days into their first ever Bundesliga season, RB Leipzig have recorded a draw at Hoffenheim and beaten both Dortmund and Hamburg.

Speaking at his prematch news conference, Leipzig coach Hasenhuttl hinted that winger Oliver Burke, 19, who joined from Nottingham Forest for around €17m this summer, could make his second appearance.

"His development is great. We've had many one-on-one conversations, showed him videos. He gets better every day," Hasenhuttl said.

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