Football is so often defined by tribalism, fuelled by fury, disdain and a desperation to win at all costs. Every club has their rivals, the clubs their fans love to hate. There is seldom room for friendship.
Except, perhaps, if you support Schalke 04 and FC Nuremberg, German football’s best friends.
Two of the country’s most successful clubs, currently residing in Bundesliga 2, meet at the Veltins Arena on Saturday for the latest chapter in a remarkable story of community, dating back almost half a century.
With over 400km separating Gelsenkirchen, Schalke’s home city, and Nuremberg, there is no logical connection. Incredibly, nobody knows for sure how their special relationship began.
BBC Sport attempts to explain how two clubs became unlikely ‘anti-rivals’.
‘I have a Schalke shirt but in the red of Nuremberg’
There are many different tales of how things began. The most commonly told legend is that, in 1980, two Nuremberg fans named Monika and Stefan met a Schalke fan named Peter on a train.
Monika and Stefan, who resided in Regensburg, Bavaria, were on their way home from a match with Borussia Monchengladbach, while Peter had been watching his team down the road.
They struck up a conversation and from then on, agreed to meet whenever the clubs next played each other. Their friendship grew in strength and number and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now each game is an event; there are organised functions between the fanbases, chartered trains for both fans to and from the cities, and meet-ups before and after kick-off. Tifos reflect the friendship in the stands when Nuremberg host, although police intervened for Schalke after pyrotechnics were used without permission.
“The story is a bit of a myth,” Anja Wortmann, Schalke Supporters Club board member, tells BBC Sport. “I can’t really tell you how it got that strong. It developed over the years.
“The ultras of both clubs have this friendship. They visit each other, there are special campaigns before the matches. Normally other supporters are not allowed in the clubhouse, but Nuremberg fans come, they drink, we talk together, celebrate together. It is a special atmosphere, really special.
“There are half-and-half scarves; the Nuremberg ultras sold a beanie hat with the friendship logo on it. I have a jersey; it is a Schalke shirt but in the red of Nuremberg.”
‘Every moment in the stadium is special’
Markus Wiesner, a Schalke fan of almost 30 years who resides in Nuremberg, says fans can often mix in the stands during the match.
“The entrance to the stadiums are not separate and sometimes fans sit together,” he says. “It is totally different to a normal league game.
“It is a very special friendship. In my opinion it is unique. Every moment in the stadium is special. It must be amazing for the players too.”
Each club’s anthem is played before kick-off at both fixtures and the whole stadium joins in to sing both.
“I get goosebumps when I hear the Nuremberg anthem. It is lovely,” Wortmann adds.
Alliances between clubs are common in German football, and this can be an excuse to engage in hooliganism, Wortmann says. But another result of club friendships is, naturally, more rivalries.
“Bochum and Bayern have a friendship, so do Dortmund and Cologne. But ours is the best known and strongest one. Those clubs support each other when it comes to physical fights, unfortunately.
“We support Nuremberg in their rivalries. They have a rivalry with Greuther Furth, so we do now too. If we play there, some of our fans will wear anti-Furth scarves and sometimes even Nuremberg shirts.
“Once, in the cup, Nuremberg played Duisburg, around 30km from Gelsenkirchen. Some Schalke fans bought tickets for this match and supported Nuremberg.”
Recently, their relationship has developed to help promote inclusion and awareness with a group of Nuremberg fans setting up a match against Schalke fans before each league game, for young people with disabilities.
‘It is a friendship they are living’
Ultimately, it is still a competitive football match, with points and ambitions on the line. Four points currently separate both in the league with Nuremberg 11th and Schalke 13th, but there have been times where even this relationship has been put to the test.
On the final day of the 2007-08 season, Schalke headed to Nuremberg needing a win to secure Champions League qualification, but that win would relegate their friends and hosts. Marcelo Bordon’s double secured that victory, and it is still remembered today.
“Whoever lost, lost everything,” Wiesner laughs.
“Schalke won in Nuremberg and some fans say they are the reason for relegation; it still makes Schalke fans quite sad. They have mixed feelings.”
“Some people don’t care about the friendship, but the active fans live it,” Wortmann adds. “Of course, we want Schalke to win, but if Nuremberg win and they come to the clubhouse, it is still fine. We still have a good time.”
Nuremberg and Schalke have 16 German titles between them, the second and fourth most respectively. Both have fallen on tough times and endured difficulty during their histories, which perhaps strengthens their bond further.
Though they would like a return to the glory years, playing in the lower leagues has made this event a regular occurrence.
“Both clubs had a lot of success during the 1990s,” Wiesner says. “We’ve had good times, bad times and chaotic times.
“It doesn’t matter what league we are in. The fans live for their club.
“Saturday is a special moment. It is not a friendship on paper, it is a friendship they are living.”
Football can be a breeding ground for community. Even, it seems, in the most unusual ways.
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