Dortmund fans unveil a banner opposing investment in German football at an away match against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday (UWE KRAFT)
Fan protests against an investment proposal from the German FA (DFL) led to an eight-minute delay in the Bundesliga match between Cologne and Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Ultras from both teams threw chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil onto the pitch in a planned protest during the 12th minute of the match, symbolising the fans as the “12th man” on the pitch.
Players from both clubs were seen helping ground attendants remove hundreds of gold coins which were dotted across the playing field.
Dortmund had taken the lead shortly before the match, Donyell Malen opening the scoring from a Julian Brandt corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
After the game resumed, the fans continued to chant slogans hostile to the DFL. The league-wide protests also interrupted a match between Heidenheim and Wolfsburg for 12 minutes.
In mid-December, a two-thirds majority of German clubs approved a measure to sell off some of the league’s TV rights in exchange for an injection of investment capital.
In December, fans from Bochum and Union Berlin threw tennis balls onto the field, also as part of a protest action.
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