2022 (AFP) - Bad blood was stirred in the build-up to Saturday's German Cup final between Freiburg and RB Leipzig after a row over the seemingly innocuous matter of a commemorative scarf for supporters
the rival clubs each allow their logos to be used on a scarf which fans wear to the cup final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium
Freiburg opted not to give permission for their crest to appear on the neckwear for this year's final
Freiburg's finance officer Oliver Leki hinted at bad blood by telling broadcaster SWR they would have done it if there was "a connection between the clubs"
Leipzig managing director Oliver Mintzlaff claimed Freiburg's stance was "disrespectful"
"We had made it clear weeks ago that we didn't want it," said Leki
insisting it was "nothing to do with a lack of respect."
RB Leipzig are bidding to win the German Cup for the first time
but the clubs have very different backgrounds
who founded the club in 2009 by buying the licence of fifth-tier club SSV Markranstaedt and changing the name
RB Leipzig are unpopular among German football fans who see the Saxony club as simply a marketing tool for the Austrian energy drinks giants
There is also an element of envy at Leipzig's phenomenal success story
Leipzig quickly scaled Germany's football pyramid with four promotions in seven years to reach the Bundesliga in 2016/17
They have twice finished runners-up in the league and now reached three German Cup finals
They also made the Champions League semi-finals in 2020
Current coach Domenico Tedesco steered them to the last four of the Europa League this season before Rangers knocked them out
but in 50 or 70 years that won't be the case," Mintzlaff recently told Sport1
Leipzig's success has not gone unnoticed in Freiburg
where Leki says there is respect for "what has been achieved" on the pitch
Both Leipzig and Freiburg threaten to upset the Bundesliga's established order as rivals to Bayern
Freiburg is a traditional club founded in 1904
who spent six of the last 20 seasons in Germany's second tier
the Bundesliga's longest-serving current coach who took charge in 2011
Freiburg started this season unbeaten in their first 10 Bundesliga matches
They narrowly missed out - to RB Leipzig - on a Champions League spot for the first time
ending up sixth to go into the Europa League
Captain Christian Gunter and defender Nico Schlotterbeck
The row over the cup final scarf cooled by Friday with both coaches talking up their opposite number
Leipzig boss Tedesco said reaching the German Cup final is simply "confirmation" that Freiburg  are now a "top German club" under the "indispensable" Streich
The Freiburg boss returned Tedesco's compliment and Streich made it clear he "knows who the top clubs in the Bundesliga are" pointing to Leipzig's fourth-placed finish
Promoted side RB Leipzig always expected their first Bundesliga season to be a turbulent affair but they seem to have got more than they bargained for with their sensational start that has seen them go top of the table after 10 matches
Hated by many German fans for their rapid rise through the ranks
from the amateur leagues to the Bundesliga in just seven years
the club had braced for vocal opposition this season
From silence in the stands as a form of protest
many supporters have vented their anger against Leipzig
a club created in 2009 after energy drinks maker Red Bull bought the licence of amateur club SSV Markranstaedt
The club is an exception to ownership rules in Germany where individuals cannot buy a majority share of a team unless they are the single biggest investors for an uninterrupted 20-year period
But due to the ownership structure of Leipzig
billionaire and Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz was able to circumvent that rule
“We at Mainz 05 see ourselves like the exact opposite of Leipzig’s pompous soccer project,” Mainz 05 fans said in an online forum on Sunday prior to their game against Leipzig as they called for fans not to boycott the game
“What grew gradually in Mainz was a forced process in Leipzig within seven years
A participant in the Bundesliga was bred solely for the purpose of advertising.”
But after Leipzig’s 3-1 win against Mainz on Sunday it was clear for many that the only East German team in the league meant business
Leipzig – the league’s youngest team with an average age of just over 23 – are joint top of the table with champions Bayern Munich
thanks to their quick pressing and attacking game
“For us it is important to see where we have deficits,” said Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl on Sunday
“We are a long way away from playing like a top team.”
be no threat to Bayern’s dominance in Germany any time soon
“I think no one can threaten Bayern over an entire season,” Rangnick
one of the architects of Leipzig’s success
“As long as they continue doing their thing nothing will happen
“For us it’s important that we do our own thing.”
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