Disgruntled German fans protest in Berlin

Around 4,000 supporters from football clubs across Germany united yesterday to demonstrate peacefully against rising ticket prices and the commercialisation of the nation’s favourite sport.

The event was attended by supporters’ groups from more than 50 clubs in the first, second and third divisions of Germany’s Bundesliga with a rally held in front of the Rotes Rathaus in Berlin’s city centre.

The fans gripes are against rising ticket prices, fan unfriendly kick-off times and heavy-handed action by the police.

Speakers denounced the commercialisation policies of both the German Football Federation (DFB) and the German league (DFL). There was a heavy police presence throughout, but the demonstration passed off without incident.

The Bundesliga remains the cheapest league in Europe: an average price for a ticket last season was €20.79 compared to €43 in England’s Premier League and €40 for a Spanish league match.

The league is booming: the Bundesliga turned a profit of around €1.7 billion in 2009 compromising mainly of match-day revenue (€424m), sponsorship receipts (€573m) and broadcast income (€594m).

But fans are concerned ticket prices are slowly creeping up and the introduction of a Saturday evening game for television in the German league – where matches traditionally start at 3.30 p.m. on a Saturday – has proved unpopular.