League
favourites such as FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have made way for the
current league leaders, RasenBallsport Leipzig.
Seven
seasons ago, RB Leipzig were in the fifth division of German football, they now
sit in first place of the country’s top division.
But how?
The league
has changed dramatically over time, and has now subtly adopted the ritual that
the club with the most money will be the most likely for the title.
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Since their
successful path to supremacy in Germany, the club have come under intense scrutiny, becoming the villains of the Bundesliga.
The club
arguably go against all that German domestic football stands for, tradition and
club history, the idea of building clubs from scratch, with the critical input
of supporters.
RB Leipzig
do not follow such guidelines, with just seventeen members with power to vote
in club proposals, the value of fan power is virtually non-existent.
The majority
of Bundesliga clubs are against the rise of Leipzig, with good reason.
'RB
Leipzig was founded to make money. To sell an energy drink.' Said a fan of Leipzig’s former top club, Lokomotiv
Leipzig.
Their continued
success is feared, mainly from the viewpoint of financially inadequate clubs,
who possess huge club history.
Formerly
successful clubs have made way for RB Leipzig, who in their view, and the view
of many others, have walked through the leagues as cheats, fueled by ludicrous
amounts of funding.
VfB
Stuttgart, who are now represented in the 2.Bundesliga, were German Champions
just nine years ago.
After a loss
of funding from their city, partly due to the rise of TSG Hoffenheim, the club
have been particularly inconsistent, which eventually sacrificed their place in
the top division.
When
considering the success and fight of VfB, who were founded in 1893, the rise of
RB Leipzig as their replacement is a pill hard to swallow.
Would the
success of Leipzig inspire investors to transform teams into potential German
champions one day? Would this destroy the traditional meaning of the
Bundesliga?
However,
some wonder why Leipzig aren’t celebrated more.
They are the
first club to emerge in the Bundesliga from East Germany since 2009 – an area
of the country that has seen its footballing tradition obliterated by
assimilation.
They do also
play some quite attractive football, which they should, considering their
almost unlimited funding for training facilities.
RB Leipzig
are the unfortunate reflection of modern day football, frowned upon by so many.
Regardless
of opinions, die Bullen currently sit three points clear of current champions,
Bayern Munich, at the top of the table.
