An Englishman living in England and supporting Bayern and German football.

[ A THREAD]
As an Englishman living in England and a strong supporter of German football, I’m often given that 😳 face whenever I tell people. Living in an area surrounded by successful English teams, they wonder why support the foreign teams instead.
People always say you should support local teams, be that a geographical local term, or by country. In other words, following another countries football team is considered being a traitor.
Being born and raised here, there is often a sense that if you support a foreign team in any context, it’s almost a personal insult on the country. England has always had a superiority complex, from football to everyday life. We believe we’re the best in everything, despite
evidence to the contrary. You see how Premierleague fans are, they believe that their league is the best there is, and why would you possibly want to support anyone else from the other three English football leagues, let alone a foreign club.
People lay the argument that you are a glory hunter if you follow a big European club, they base it on the fact that you can’t physically watch them play. So in their mind, watching them online or over a tv isn’t being a real fan.
Does attending a game make you more of a fan than those who support their team from a distance? I say no. A fan is a fan, no matter the distance. Choosing a football team, or often them choosing you, is a lifelong commitment, once you have one, you’re stuck with them.
Attending a game vs watching on tv. These two ways of following your team, there is no correlation between one making you a more superior fan.

When you attend a game and your team scores in the 93rd minute to snatch a last gasp winner, you jump up and celebrate wildly, yes?
You watch the same game on tv, and the reaction is the same. How is being there physically making you a better fan, than those watching on tv from wherever in the world.

It is often the case that the fans who attend matches, do so in an attempt to feel superior, to those who
are not able, for geographical reasons, or any other.

I started watching my local team when I was around 10 years old, and prior to Covid, I attended home matches, the occasional away match etc. I enjoy the live experience of a game, no doubt it is different to the tv showing
You can join in with the chants, the atmosphere etc, that isn’t the same watching on tv.

But, your devotion to the team remains the same wherever you watch the game, being at a game physically does not make you more of a fan.
As I have said, football teams often pick you, and in doing so, sometimes it is in no where near your local area. It could be through the smallest things that makes you fall in love with your football club. And isn’t that the beauty of being a fan, not just picking a team down
to geographical convenience, to have something speak to you about a certain team. When someone asks you why do you love this team, you can’t explain it, you just felt that connection. Much like love in any sense, the more unexplainable it is, the more real it is.
I grew up following Manchester United, or rather I was a huge fan of Peter Schmeichael, but thankfully the thought of being a Man U fan never stuck.

I watched Euro 96 and I saw a player called Jurgen Klinsmann, I loved how he played the game. I found out he played for Bayern
I grew up following Manchester United, or rather I was a huge fan of Peter Schmeichael, but thankfully the thought of being a Man U fan never stuck. I watched Euro 96 and I saw a player called Jurgen Klinsmann, I loved how he played the game. I found out he played for Bayern
I grew up following Manchester United, or rather I was a huge fan of Peter Schmeichael, but thankfully the thought of being a Man U fan never stuck. I watched Euro 96 and I saw a player called Jurgen Klinsmann, I loved how he played the game. I found out he played for Bayern
I remember seeing a few games of them, of course back then it was harder to find matches, but seeing Germany win the Euros, and Klinsmann playing for Bayern, I wanted to see how they would do.
I remember going into school after Bayern lost the ‘99 final and crying my eyes out. I remember walking into class and the whole class teasing me. It was awful, but i knew then that was it. I was a Bayern Munich fan. I went off to Munich for a family holiday and went on a tour
of the old Olympic stadium, I bought my first ‘Opel’ Bayern kit, with Stefan Effenberg on the back. He was my first Bayern idol, his passion and commitment I felt encapsulated what I wanted my players to do for their clubs.
of the old Olympic stadium, I bought my first ‘Opel’ Bayern kit, with Stefan Effenberg on the back. He was my first Bayern idol, his passion and commitment I felt encapsulated what I wanted my players to do for their clubs.
of the old Olympic stadium, I bought my first ‘Opel’ Bayern kit, with Stefan Effenberg on the back. He was my first Bayern idol, his passion and commitment I felt encapsulated what I wanted my players to do for their clubs.
As I’ve grown up and gotten to see more of the continental football, I feel more people here need to be more open minded with it. One thing I don’t like about England is for some people there is no better, and people are close minded into believing anyone could possibly be better
I do not respect the Premierleague as a model. I feel it is unsustainable and morally wrong. It was invented to keep the money close by, and it has become so dependent on money, that it has forgotten its soul and the communities that it used to embrace.
What I love about Bayern, and German football, is the family atmosphere. I feel a genuine connection to the clubs and I feel that the club values me as a supporter, regardless of where I am in the world.

I cried when Kahn saved from Pellegrino in ‘01, and when Robben scored in
13, and the final whistle in 2020 in Lisbon. These are real emotions, no matter where you watch them from.

I will always get people wondering why support Bayern Munich when it would probably be easier to slap on a Man U shirt and call yourself a fan.
I have followed my clubs for the last 20+ years. I will be able to hold a conversation about them, and tell you all my experiences of what I’ve witnessed. Some fans who go to games all the time can’t do that, sometimes going to a game is seen as enough.

I am proud to call myself
a Bayern fan, and a German football fan. I am not a traitor because I don’t support England, I am a fan of another team, and that’s okay.

The Premierleague and the English NT don’t make it easy to like imo. There is this high and mighty attitude, with nothing to back it up
with, and the ability to look down at nations and clubs that have more history and such, but because they’re not English they’re looked down upon. There is no respect.

So if anyone asks me why I support who I do, I just say because I do.
I don’t need to justify it, I don’t do it because it’s ‘cool’ which some people think here. I am a fan of my club and I’m proud to be.

#MiaSanMia til the day I die ❤️
You can follow @Munik86.
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