Borussia Dortmund fans made their feelings clear during their Champions League match against Newcastle United, taking apparent aim at proposals to reform the competition.
“You don’t care about the sport - all you care about is money!” a banner from the home end read. Imitation gold bars were also thrown onto the field of play during the second half of the game, with the German side leading 1-0 at the time.
Dortmund fans also held up a banner carrying the url of a 'Reclaim the Game' website. The site makes reference to banners held up when Dortmund hosted AC Milan in an earlier Champions League match, explaining they were in opposition to proposed Champions League reform.
The Champions League is due to take on a new format from the 2024-25 season onwards. Gone will be the current set-up of eight groups of four, with UEFA introducing a Swiss System in a 36-team competition.
"During the presentation of the reform, UEFA announced that the reform was intended to "commercially" enhance the preliminary round and at the same time counteract the monotony of the group stage," a statement on the 'Reclaim the game' site reads. "So why is there still an intermediate play-off round between the "preliminary round with a league system" and the actual knockout matches? The same applies to the question of the inflated field of participants.
"The answer to both questions is easy to answer: It's about the fan in front of the screen and an increase in the number of games that can be consumed in front of the screen. This results in higher TV revenues and therefore more money for associations and clubs – at the expense of players, fans and national competitions."
A number of social media users showed their support for the Dortmund fans and their words. "Dortmund fans never disappoint" wrote one, while another described it as a "brave message".
Dortmund won their away match against Newcastle, with Felix Nmecha scoring the only goal of the game at St James' Park. Edin Terzic's men also scored first in the home meeting, with Niclas Fullkrug finding the net in the opening period.
Going into the fixture at Signal Iduna Park, both teams sat on four points from their opening three matches. The other game in the group, held later on Wednesday, sees Paris Saint-Germain travel to the San Siro to take on AC Milan.