========================================================
Police in full riot gear gather near the MILLERNTOR STADION in the St. Pauli quarter of the north German city of Hamburg; on this day, the home side, FC ST. PAULI, have a Derbyspiel with cross-town rival, SV HAMBURG, in the 1.Bundesliga, the top flight of German professional football. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
For most Americans, the word “Derby” used in connection with a sporting event will conjure up images of the famous horse race held annually in Kentucky.
For the rest of the world, in terms of sports, the word is associated with a special sort of football match — a fixture involving two local teams.
In North American sports vernacular, a derby match would better be known as a “cross-town rivalry”.
A derby, however, is something rather different than one will find on the North American professional sports scene. The game of soccer, itself, provokes a passion not necessarily understood by many in the United States. Derbies have even more of a charged atmosphere among the fans — and, oftentimes, players — of the participating clubs.
In some cases, political or sectarian influences associated somehow with a particular club(s) involved only heighten the tension of the whole derby affair.
========================================================
========================================================
Supporters of visiting side SV Hamburg start to assemble on the REEPERBAHN, a street in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg near the Millerntor Stadion that is known for its nightlife entertainment. The Reeperbahn is also considered to be the center of the city’s red light district; in German it is known as “die suendige Meile”, the sinful mile. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
It has been quite sometime since the city of Hamburg has hosted a Derbyspiel and thus, in the best interests of public safety, die Polizei (stuffed with FC St. Pauli supporters?) decide to test the water cannon on the visiting SV Hamburg fans before the match to make sure the equipment is in proper working order. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
Back in the 1.Bundesliga for the first time since the 2001-02 season, the supporters of FC St. Pauli break out their trademark Skull and Crossbones (Totenkopf) flag for the 130th Derbyspiel with SV Hamburg at the Millerntor Stadion. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
FC St. Pauli have a certain notoriety for the left-leaning character of the team’s supporters, who are known to traditionally participate in political demonstrations in the city district. Most of the team’s supporters proclaim themselves to be anti-racist, anti-facist as well as anti-sexist and anti-homophobic. In fact, the club claim to have the most female fans in all of Germany and its President, theatre activist and owner Corny Littmann, is openly gay.
FC St. Pauli’s Totenkopf flag is also known to be a worldwide symbol for punk and other related subcultures.
It was in the mid-1980s that FC St. Pauli transformed into a “Kult” club and began to make a distinct name for itself; although FC St. Pauli had always struggled to reach the top flight of German football and long played a clear second fiddle on the field to SV Hamburg on the other side of town, a new “fan scene” emerged centering around left-leaning politics as well as the ‘event’ and ‘party atmosphere’ connected with the club’s soccer matches.
In 1981, FC St. Pauli averaged roughly 1,600 spectators per match at home; by the late 1990s the club were regularly selling out the Millerntor Stadion, which has an official capacity of 22,648.
================================================
================================================
Because left-wing Liberals are known to be compassionate and caring, a supporter of FC St. Pauli in the Millerntor Stadion for the match with SV Hamburg has thoughtfully, so that his feelings might be better understood by a larger audience, prepared a banner in English for the benefit of those watching around the world who cannot read German. (John MacDougall/AFP)
================================================
SV Hamburg are one of the oldest and most well-known, to speak nothing of successful, football clubs in Germany.
Not only has SV Hamburg played continuously in the top flight of German football since the end of World War II, it is the ONLY club that has played EVERY season in the 1.Bundesliga since the national league was founded to start the 1963-64 season.
SV Hamburg have, in all, captured the German championship on six occasions; Die Rothosen (Red Shorts) have won the German Cup three times, as well.
The most significant title on the club’s resume would be the European Cup of Champions crown that was captured to close out the 1982-83 campaign.
========================================================
========================================================
The supporters of SV Hamburg, stuffed into the corner of the arena as is always the case around the world for fans of the visiting team, let loose with the blue smoke at the Millerntor Stadion so as to announce their presence to the FC St. Pauli supporters and indicate they are, indeed, none too impressed with the alternative language banner shenanigins. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
(Joerg Sarbach/DAPD) — The Millerntor Stadion in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg is certainly not one of the largest football arenas in all of Germany. SV Hamburg, for example, play at the 57,274-seat Imtech Arena – previously known for years and years as the Volksparkstadion. This fact only adds both charm to the St.Pauli football club and its home ground as well as fuel to the Hamburgderby fire.
“Hunde (instead Hamburg) Sport Verein”.
Hund is, of course, the German word for dog.
========================================================
========================================================
With die Polizei having reported the water cannon all set to go in case of emergency and the FC St.Pauli Totenkopf flag proudly on display in the stands, the match officials are prepared to lead the two teams out of the dressing room and get on with the Bundesliga game at the modest Millerntor Stadion in Hamburg. (Joerg Sarbach/DAPD)
========================================================
========================================================
As the two teams line-up at midfield for the singing of the national anthem prior to the start of the match, balloons with the same colors as visiting SV Hamburg suddenly appear on the pitch at the Millerntor Stadion, the home ground of FC St. Pauli. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
==============================
Visiting 37-year-old SV Hamburg goalkeeper FRANK ROST, who, after 399 career Bundesliga games, is appearing in his first Hamburgderby, has some (toilet) paperwork to attend to before the big match with FC St. Pauli can begin. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
Derby matches have been known to be ‘no holds barred’ affairs — Czech Republic international mifielder DAVID JAROLIM of SV Hamburg (white shirt) takes that into consideration when dealing with FC St. Paul defender BASTIAN OCZIPKA at the Millerntor Stadion. (Joerg Sarbach/DAPD)
========================================================
========================================================
SV Hamburg’s 34-year-old Dutch international RUUD VAN NISTELROOY, no stranger to big city derby matches thanks to his experiences with Manchester United in England and Spanish side Real Madrid, hurdles the sliding tackle of St. Pauli defender MARKUS THORANDT (15) at the Millerntor Stadion in northern Germany. (Retuers photo)
========================================================
========================================================
FC St. Pauli striker MARIUS EBBERS (9) anticipates as the shot of the not-pictured Fabian Boll eludes a diving SV Hamburg goalkeeper FRANK ROST to give the underdog home side a 1-0 lead in 77th minute of the Hamburgderby at the Millerntor Stadion. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
Perhaps sensing a great upset that might be spoken of for years to come in the north German city, FC St. Pauli players and supporters celebrate the go-ahead goal against hated rival SV Hamburg with less than a quarter of an hour to play in the Bundesliga match at the Millerntor Stadion. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
Croatia international striker MLADEN PETRIC of SV Hamburg receives a pat on the back of the head after his goal with less than three minutes of regulation time remaining shatters whatever hopes FC St. Pauli may have had about all three points from the Hamburgderby at the Millerntor Stadion. (Reuters photo)
========================================================
========================================================
Over in the corner of the Millerntor Stadion, supporters of SV Hamburg wave their flags to let the FC St. Pauli crowd know that home side has not won and Die Rothosen have not lost in the 130th edition of the Hamburgderby. (John MacDougall/AFP)
========================================================
========================================================
The 1-1 Bundesliga draw with cross-town rival SV Hamburg officially in the books, FC St. Pauli striker DENIZ NAKI proudly carries the Totenkopf flag across the pitch following the 130th Hamburgderby at the Millerntor Stadion. (Reuters photo)
