OMG
VfL Wolfsburg are not a traditional club. Quite
VfL Wolfsburg are not a traditional club.
the opposite. And it shows.
Wolfsburg have the fewest fans in the Bundesliga:
Wolfsburg have the fewest fans in the Bundesliga: with 21,500 members they ranked 12th by membership numbers in September 2019, but a BILD poll in January 2019 found that no Bundesliga club had fewer supporters nationwide.
with 21,500 members they ranked 12th by membership numbers in September 2019, but a BILD poll in January 2019 found that no Bundesliga club had fewer supporters nationwide. Only 0.4 percent of respondents named Wolfsburg as their favourite club. Even Hoffenheim and Leverkusen were ahead. Ouch.
Pointless without battlements: for many Wolfsburg fans there
Pointless without battlements: for many Wolfsburg fans there is only one true logo, the old one with the castellated W.
is only one true logo, the old one with the castellated W. The problem is that with the 2001 spin-off of the football department it was replaced by a rounder, more marketing-friendly badge. Fans protested, sewing the old crest onto new shirts, and 89 percent voted in favour of restoring it in a club survey. The leadership ignored them.
De Bruyne swears eternal loyalty by accident: in
De Bruyne swears eternal loyalty by accident: in August 2015, during an event, an ARD moderator had Kevin De Bruyne repeat a German sentence that jokingly amounted to “I, Kevin De Bruyne, will definitely play for VfL Wolfsburg this season.” His management and the club were not amused.
August 2015, during an event, an ARD moderator had Kevin De Bruyne repeat a German sentence that jokingly amounted to “I, Kevin De Bruyne, will definitely play for VfL Wolfsburg this season.” His management and the club were not amused. He soon moved to Manchester City for 75 million euros. Moral: football has no sense of humour once commissions and cash are involved.
Rules knowledge, grade five: long-time manager Peter Pander’...
Rules knowledge, grade five: long-time manager Peter Pander’s career ended after an embarrassing mistake.
Rules knowledge, grade five: long-time manager Peter Pander’s career ended after an embarrassing mistake. In 2004 Wolfsburg fielded Marian Hristov in a cup match at Cologne’s reserves even though he was still suspended from the 2003 final with Kaiserslautern. The DFB claimed it had informed the club by form letter.
Coach Erik Gerets said he never saw it, Pander took the blame, and the green-table defeat cost him his job.
Fans versus management: only two weeks into Bruno
Fans versus management: only two weeks into Bruno Labbadia’s reign in March 2018, the north stand greeted him with a mocking chant about going down and never coming back.
Labbadia’s reign in March 2018, the north stand greeted him with a mocking chant about going down and never coming back. The song caused debate across the country and once more highlighted the gap between supporters and the club leadership. Later the sides made peace and Labbadia led Wolfsburg not to relegation but into Europe.
Grammatical problems: in 2016 Wolfsburg fans displayed a
Grammatical problems: in 2016 Wolfsburg fans displayed a taunting banner against rivals Braunschweig that essentially read “We will forever remain behind ourselves.” Braunschweig answered with a banner calling them a club for the dyslexic.
taunting banner against rivals Braunschweig that essentially read “We will forever remain behind ourselves.” Braunschweig answered with a banner calling them a club for the dyslexic. Wolfsburg had handed them the punchline.
A lack of atmosphere: Wolfsburg supporters are widely
A lack of atmosphere: Wolfsburg supporters are widely regarded as gentle and not especially fanatical.
regarded as gentle and not especially fanatical. The family-friendly Wölficlub on the south stand is emblematic of the calm environment: a bit of football, then home again. The main atmosphere usually comes from the away end.
Exceptions came when Wolfsburg hooligans fired pyrotechnics at Hannover’s bench in the derby and when the Mainz stadium announcer joked in 2019 that, with all the diesel trouble they already had, they did not also need to bring fine dust to his city.
Glamour in Wolfsburg: that was supposed to be
Glamour in Wolfsburg: that was supposed to be provided by “Lord” Nicklas Bendtner.
provided by “Lord” Nicklas Bendtner. It failed. In April 2016 Wolfsburg terminated his contract.
The Danish international had arrived from Arsenal in 2014 and in 47 games scored nine goals, but mostly made headlines off the pitch: a fine for posing with a Mercedes instead of a VW, lateness to training, and endless extra fitness sessions. Klaus Allofs called him a danger to the group. Perhaps a bit much, but still.
DFL Licence Check
WOB · FY 2023-24OMG — Update 2020–2026
Wout Weghorst as “provocateur” at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: the Wolfsburg striker, at that point first on loan at Besiktas and later with Manchester United, scored twice in the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina and provoked the Argentinians with his goal celebration.
Wout Weghorst as “provocateur” at the 2022 World
Wout Weghorst as “provocateur” at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: the Wolfsburg striker, at that point first on loan at Besiktas and later with Manchester United, scored twice in the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina and provoked the Argentinians with his goal celebration.
Cup in Qatar: the Wolfsburg striker, at that point first on loan at Besiktas and later with Manchester United, scored twice in the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina and provoked the Argentinians with his goal celebration. Lionel Messi snapped at him after the match: “What are you looking at? Stupid!” The scene became one of the viral moments of the World Cup.
Weghorst, never exactly a darling in Wolfsburg, became known worldwide overnight — as the man who made Messi angry.