Third-division soccer club Dynamo Dresden does not see the latest protest by its supporters with a banner as discriminatory behavior, but as criticism of the German Football League. "According to the information available to us so far, we see the banner actions as an expression and part of the protest of our active fan scene against a possible investor entry at the DFL with critical reference to the punishment that Bayer 04 Leverkusen recently received for similar banners of their supporters. The polarizing choice of words is primarily a stylistic device to generate attention," Dynamo announced on Tuesday at the request of Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
The club distanced itself from the accusation of discrimination after fans rolled out a two-part banner during the 1:2 in Ingolstadt last Sunday. The banner read: "There is only one ridiculous DFB... and two genders!" Dynamo referred to its mission statement and the fan charter. The club is "open to everyone who recognizes the values of the club: people of all classes, skin colors and cultures come together in our colors". Dynamo wants to analyze the action within the club with the relevant departments and then seek dialogue with the fan scene.
The German Football Association had initiated an investigation after the incidents in Ingolstadt. According to dpa information, Dynamo has not yet sent the requested statement.
In November, Bayer Leverkusen supporters held up a banner with the slogan "There are many genres of music, but only two genders" during the match against Werder Bremen. Bayer was fined 18,000 euros for this last week, as the DFB deemed this to be discriminatory and unsportsmanlike behavior on the part of the supporters. The General Equal Treatment Act protects everyone from discrimination on the basis of gender. Since January 2019, in addition to "male" and "female", the option "diverse" has also been possible for intersex people in the birth register.
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