Steep rise and attractive football. But it was rejected by a large portion of Bundesliga fans: YB’s opponent RB Leipzig is controversial. Former goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti offers insight.
Leipzig’s meteoric rise from Germany’s fourth-highest league to the Bundesliga began in 2012. Right in the middle: Swiss goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti. The current football retiree led the club, which was only founded in 2009, to the top flight with fellow goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
His winning goal against Darmstadt in the 2015 promotion race will never be forgotten (he missed out on promotion that summer), making him a virtual icon of the club.
Today, Coltorti, who lives in Marbella, Spain, still looks back fondly on his time at Leipzig. He was convinced by the controversial marketing project early on. “The club is very professionally set up and organized in the fourth league – better than GC in Switzerland or Racing Santander in Spain,” explains Coltoretti, drawing a comparison with two of his former clubs.
Leipzig is like Leverkusen or Wolfsburg
RB Leipzig is no ordinary club. It is the powerful football flagship of the ubiquitous drinks maker Red Bull, which has rapidly grown into an empire – created purely for the purpose of marketing, critics complain.
We even needed a security team in League 4, and there were always fights with the fans.
Coltorti was aware that a lot of money was flowing from the company into the club’s coffers. “But I don’t see it as a ‘construction’ at all Or an experienced advertising team.” The 42-year-old uses Leverkusen and Wolfsburg for comparison – clubs that also have a company in the background: “These clubs are similar projects, but they have been operating this way for decades and now it is normal. When I was a kid, I didn’t look at who the shepherd was, I distributed my sympathy based on what I saw on TV. “Leipzig will be like this in 10, 20 or 30 years and the issue will become less important.”
In-form Leipzig are clear favorites ahead of YB
At the moment, it seems that Leipzig is still far from being at the top of the popularity list among Bundesliga fans. But things were worse, Kulturti recalls. “We even needed a security team in League 4, and there were always fights with the fans. There was real hatred towards us, whether it was spitting, kicking or insults.”
When I was a kid, I didn’t look at who the shepherd was, I distributed my sympathy based on what I saw on TV.
Leipzig has always played attractive football, relied on young and talented players and planned intelligently and for the long term. Above all, former mastermind Ralf Rangnick left a big (positive) mark and pushed the project forward.
With 4 wins in their first 5 competitive matches, the two-time German Cup winner has also made a very convincing start to the season. Next stop on Tuesday at the start of the Champions League in Vankdorf in Bern against Young Boys, the Germans are favourites.
Despite all the quality and efficiency: the accusation of a marketing project is difficult to refute. RB Leipzig may still remain an excellent, excellently managed product that ensures attractive and successful football, but it undermines the core values of many fans.
“Creator. Troublemaker. Reader. Tv nerd. Proud beer advocate. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Introvert. Certified zombie practitioner. Thinker.”
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