Teams from the Bundesliga may not have featured regularly in the upper echelons of European competition recently, but domestically they certainly know how to put on a show.
On a warm summer's day in August fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Nuremburg gather on the second Saturday of the Bundesliga. In Germany, it appears the match day experience is more valued by the fans than overall success and, as supporters from both teams sing their way through the tree-lined paths towards Eintracht Frankfurt's home, the Commerzbank Arena, it is easy to become swept up in the atmosphere.
This season marks 60 years since Eintracht last won the league, but that lack of success has not dampened their supporters' passions and the 52,300 capacity stadium is packed. Thousands of black and white flags wave, and the home end hoist tributes to the 1959 season and the players who claimed the title.
A jubilant, carnival atmosphere on match days is a cheery characteristic of the Bundesliga explains Markus Heinrich, a 33-year-old Nuremburg fan. "It is a great atmosphere here. The fans mix and get on. There is some trouble, but never near the football grounds; here it is all good humoured. You can't beat the atmosphere of the Bundesliga."
Eintracht struggled in 2008/09, finishing 13th. Nuremburg, meanwhile, were promoted from Bundesliga Two.
Each has something to prove this year, and in a league where the top teams jostle for position more so than in Europe's other biggest leagues.
While the "big four" in the English Premier League - Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal - have been at the top for the past five or six seasons, the same dominance has not been witnessed in the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Breman, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg have all won league titles in the last decade.
Mind you, there is no doubt as to the dominant force in German football. "Bayern Munich, of course," insists Christopher Betta, a 25-year-old student and Eintracht supporter. Betta would like to see his team compete at the top of the table and in Europe, but sees the financial divisions as too deep.
"Bayern Munich is the only club with buying power. We cannot compete with them," Betta says. "Teams in Europe - Spain, Italy, England - they can afford to pay ?100 million (Dh520m) for a player, we struggle to pay ?1m."
VfL Wolfsburg spoiled Bayern's party last season, however, storming to their first league title ahead of more habitual contenders such as VfB Stuttgart, Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen.
Wolfsburg's insurgence continued on Saturday. They dispatched Cologne 3-1 for their second consecutive victory, and 16th in their last 18 Bundesliga matches.
"I am glad that my team won and I was happy with my first Bundesliga goal. I hope that many more goals follow," said Obafemi Martins, a summer signing from England's Newcastle United.
It is easy to see why Bundesliga teams struggle to compete financially with other European leagues. Buying a ticket at the gate can cost as little as ?16 at the Commerzbank Arena and despite a packed, vibrant stadium it is still easy to pick up a ticket on match-day.
Fans are philosophical about their absence from European competition, however, concerned over what change might bring.
"We don't have the debt of other clubs in Europe. German teams are conservative," explains 26-year-old Eintracht fan Clemens Wiedemann. "We prefer it this way. We may not have a lot of money, but tickets are cheap and the support here is fantastic.
"Other clubs make money from ticket sales and merchandise. I would rather watch a lower class of match than not be able to afford to come as they have increased prices to pay for new players."
zgriffiths@thenational.ae
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
