Keep your eye on the ball: Berlin
Wednesday 21 April 2010 09:51
Say Berlin and people immediately think of the Wall, even though it is over a decade since "Die Mauer" was broken down. Football is still something that can divide the city…
An article by © Pedro Redig
Berlin was the last city to stage the World Cup final in 2006. It put on a tremendous show when more than a million people descended on the open fields in front of the Brandenburg Gate to cheer for Germany until they finished in third place. The tournament gave Berliners the chance to prove to the world 60 years after the Second World War, that they were proud to wave their flags and support their country. This new self-esteem and sense of identity could be found in fan zones spread over all host cities. It was a novelty that really worked. A marvellous success for sponsors and fans who enjoyed merchandising offers and the matches on huge screens, all for free.
The final won by Italy on penalties against France was staged at the solemn Olimpia stadium, refurbished from the original ground built for the 1936 Oympics but preserving many features like the Marathon Gate which opens up the stands at one end of the stadium. The wall came down in 1989 but football still can still divide Berlin. When the wall was built in 1961, Hertha, the team that plays at the Olimpia and is the top club in West Berlin, was forbidden to play teams from the East. Dynamo Berlin became the favourite club of Erik Meilke, the head of sec
ret police Stasi, who was known to put pressure on referees. His team became known as ‘the cheating champions’ after winning nine titles in 10 seasons.
Union Berlin and a reformed Dynamo are now the powerhouses of the game in the east side of the German capital. They do not have the financial clout of Hertha but attract a loyal fan base to their matches. The derby between the two is sill viewed as Berlin’s top game of the season. Union won the league when football started in the late 19th century but nothing since. In 2001, it reached the second division and the German Cup final.
Berlin is the fifth city in the world with the highest Turkish population and local team Turkiyem Sport Berlin play at the same level as Dynamo. But the symbol of a united Germany remains apart. Hertha are financially restrained, Union attract younger crowds but play in the regional league, Dynamo represents the old guard of the Communist era. Football will only bring reconciliation to Berlin when those clubs are able to compete together. 
What other name was Dynamo Berlin also known as?
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