Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Eugen Polanski backs fans after Rocco Reitz protest banners pop up against RB Leipzig

Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Eugen Polanski backs fans after Rocco Reitz protest banners pop up against RB Leipzig

Borussia Mönchengladbach academy man Rocco Reitz’s highly unpopular decision to move to RB Leipzig this summerhas, as expected, produced consequences. Gladbach supporters traveling to Leipzig for Saturday afternoon’s Bundesliga away fixture produced several banners denouncing Reitz’s decision to join the disliked German Red Bulls.

With anointed squad captain Tim Kleindienst out injured for most of the current Bundesliga campaign, Reitz has been filling in as the BMG captain. Heading into this weekend’s encounter against Leipzig, Gladbach head coach Eugen Polanski knew that his decision to let Reitz retain the armband would get some pushback.

Polanski answered questions about Reitz and both the pre-and-post-match press conferences. Gladbach fans at the Red Bull Arena – just as they repeatedly did in protest of former sporting director Max Eberl after his move to Leipzig – let it be known that their “tradition based” Bundesliga club took a stand against moves to a non-50+1 organization.

The Gladbach banners against Rocco Reitz

The Gladbach fans in the guest block held up several anti-Reitz banners over the course of the match. The one that Reitz personally had to face after the 0-1 away defeat was unveiled repeatedly over the two BMG “Traditionsverein” (“Tradition Club“) pennants emphasizing that Borussia Mönchenlgladbach was founded in 1900. RB Leipzig only came into being in 2009.

The BMG fan banner read “Wer sein will darf nie unsere Kapitän sein!” (“Whoever wants to be here isn’t allowed to be our captain!“). Clearly, Gladbach supporters didn’t care for Polanski’s nonchalant attitude about Reitz at the pre-match press conference. Though most Bundesliga journalists consider Gladbach effectively safe from relegation, the foals are still technically fighting the drop.

Accordingly, Polanski kept his answer safe.

Eugen Polanski’s Rocco Reitz statements

“We knew this question was coming,” Polanski remarked at the pre-match press conference. “It’s not on my mind, and I don’t think it’s on Rocco’s mind either He’s not an RB lad [yet]. [For the time being], he’s a Gladbach lad and wants to say goodbye properly. Additionally, when you play for your future club, you want to show your best side.”

“We’re all in favor of free speech at this club,” Polanski said at the post-match press conference. “The fans have a fair and reasonable right to put up such banners. Rocco – having made this decision – knows that he has to answer for it. People are allowed to express their opinions and I didn’t find anything especially reprehensible about it.“

GGFN | Peter Weis