Bayern Munich game stopped over banners with insults aimed at Hoffenheim owner
Bayern Munich's Bundesliga clash against Hoffenheim was stopped due to a banner against Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp.
The referee stopped the match 15 minutes from time after Bayern fans unveiled a banner insulting the Hoffenheim owner. Bayern was leading 6-0 at the time, courtesy of goals by Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Zirkzee, and a brace by Philippe Coutinho. After the incident, the referee took the players into the tunnel.
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Dietmar Hopp faces backlash from Bundesliga supporters
The offensive banner translates 'Hopp is a son of a b***h', as Hoffenheim's owner is hugely despised among Bundesliga supporters due to the massive investment he put into the Bundesliga club to bring them up into the German top flight from the lower leagues.
Hans Flick, his players, the Bayern board, and former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn tried to convince the away supporters to take down the banners and stop their chants. Both teams returned to the pitch after the initial cooldown, and the match restarted.
However, the players from both sides just kicked the ball around casually in their protest against the supporters until the end of the match.
Borussia Dortmund supporters were similarly warned regarding protests against Hopp during their game against Freiburg. BVB fans have previously been banned from away games at Hoffenheim due to such protests.
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