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On 26 May 1999, Manchester United played Bayern Munich at Camp Nou in the Champions League final. In the 6th minute, Mario Basler scored a low free kick to give Bayern the lead. As a fan in a bar in Kiel (in the northern tip of Germany) would later recall, Bayern's goal hardly elicited any response among the people – they were busy drinking, chatting and playing cards.
But when Manchester United equalised in the 91st minute, a loud cheer went around the room. When they scored the dramatic winner, everyone celebrated wildly; hugging each other and dancing.
Bayern Munich is not the biggest fan favorite team in the world – and the animosity they face within their own country itself is staggering, to say the least. Online blogs are full of stories by Bayern Munich fans, who recollect the cold stare and shake of the head that fellow Germans greet them with when they reveal where their loyalties lie.
Also, Read: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Live
So why are Bayern Munich disliked by a section of the fans? Here, we examine 5 reasons:
#1 Poaching players
Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels – the backbone of Borussia Dortmund's 2010-11 and 2011-12 title push. It is expected that a club like Borussia would eventually have to part with these players when offered crazy money; but when all three are poached by their direct rivals, Borussia is right to feel hard done by.
It isn't just the matter of the last few years either. Bayern have traditionally poached the best from other German teams – Oliver Kahn from Karlsruhe and Manuel Neuer from Schalke are just a couple of examples.
Eventually, the fans of these teams naturally build up a resentment towards Bayern; rumours of Bayern hovering around for yet another player leads to outrage.
#2 Arrogant administration
The circumstances of Gotze's departure to Bayern best illustrate why the Bayern Munich administration is widely hated. Announced 36 hours prior to Borussia's Champions League clash with Real Madrid, it meant the whole team's morale was affected going into such a crucial fixture.
In fact, Borussia Dortmund confirmed that they themselves did not know about the move – posting on their Facebook page, "Mario Gotze's agent Volker Struth told us a few days ago that the player wishes to make use of his release clause and on July 1, 2013 move to Bayern Munich." While Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke was quick to emphasise that Gotze and his agent had behaved within the terms of the contract, it was clear that the whole affair reeked of blatant disrespect.
Then there is the derogatory tweet mocking Arsenal post the 5-1 victory ("same again next year?") – and in case you choose to take that in the 'right' sense, consider this. Bayern Munich drew Werder Bremen for the DFB Pokal 2016 semi-finals, and their official account tweeted a dismissive Beyonce GIF suggesting a lack of respect. After being widely criticised for the perceived arrogant gesture, Bayern had to apologise and explain themselves.
#3 Bayern–Dusel
The legendary "Bayerndusel" is the German equivalent of ‘Fergie Time’ – their knack for scoring late goals (Dusel being German for "undeserved luck"). It is meant to convey that the team is very often lucky in tight games. In fact, Bayerndusel has been studied in detail – with numerous factors attributed to it varying from higher self-confidence to better physical training.
Just as with Manchester United and Ferguson, this belief is naturally accompanied with suspicion – why Bayern Munich always seems to get an extra minute to change games; and inevitable questioning of the referee's decisions. After the 85th minute, a feeling of helplessness seems to pervade the opposition – breeding frustration and rancour.
#4 Hatred towards Bavaria
Bavaria is Germany's richest region – with their own folk costumes, their own political party, their own culinary tradition, not to mention a small separatist movement. Although talk of a potential referendum to leave Germany has cooled, people who support Bavaria continue to be cast as glory hunters, naive or wealthy.
Just like the tension in Spain due to Catalonia's demand for independence, and the subsequent hate that Pique and Barcelona have amassed, Bayern Munich has suffered a similar fate – enduring association with an identity that has traditionally been considered snobbish.
Over the years, Bayern has tried to do away with this image, with acts like loaning Borussia Dortmund €2 million when the club was on the brink of collapse. They have a long way to go – but such acts can help Bayern win hearts, breaking free of decades-old stereotypes.
#5 Success and Monopoly
25, 19, 10, 10. These numbers represent the margins by which Bayern Munich has won the title in the last four seasons. At the time of writing, yet again, Bayern Munich leads the table by 10 points, and the only question seems to be how much wider the gap will get at the end of the season.
Bayern Munich's domination of Germany is complete and total – a pincer-like grip, suffocating opponents by relentlessly picking up points and racking up goals; till the rival inevitably falls short and gives up. As late as 21 December, RB Leipzig was level on points with Bayern – until Munich thrashed Leipzig at Allianz Arena to set the tone for the rest of the season.
In terms of trophies as well, Bayern Munich are one of the most successful clubs in history, having won the European Cup 5 times. In the face of such success, hate is inevitable. As Cristiano Ronaldo aptly put it, "Your love makes me strong. Your hate makes me unstoppable."
