Bundesliga: "Hostility towards Dietmar Hopp (TSG Hoffenheim) is unacceptable" (C. Seifert, DFL)

"The permanent hostility against Dietmar Hopp (owner of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) has long been unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms. We have reached a sad climax in this regard today. There is no excuse for this," ssaid Christian Seifert, CEO of the DFL, on 29/02/2020, after TSG Hoffenheim - FC Bayern Munich (0-6, Matchday 24 of the 2019-20 Bundesliga).

In the 67^th minute of the reigning German champions' match, some supporters of the Bavarian club unrolled an insulting and hostile banner against Dietmar Hopp to show their opposition to the ownership of Hoffenheim by a wealthy patron, in this case one of the founders and former CEO of the German IT company SAP, an exception to the so-called "50+1" rule (see below) which is respected by the vast majority of German professional clubs, including Bayern Munich.

After an initial intervention by the Bavarian coach and players with their supporters, the game resumed before the banner in question appeared again. The game was then stopped once again and Bayern officials tried to calm down their fans, some of whom were…