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The Untold Game man socialism almost a decade before. Leverkusen as well, a couple of years
Union Berlin And to them, Calmund was deter- later. Hansa Rostock would win the

mined to add Andreas Thom.
final East German title before reunifi-
Thom was the best player, and leading
by violence.
goalscorer, of BFC Dynamo. Who had cation in 1991, after a season marred
Union Berlin’s recent so dominated East German football in Hansa were duly placed in the
achievements should not the 1980s that they had won ten titles Bundesliga when the two countries’
be underestimated. After in a row. At only 24 when the borders footballing setups were merged, and
making it to the Bundesli- opened, he was in his prime and had established themselves. They were the
ga, the community club have a young family to support, something only ones to do so. FC Berlin, former-
consolidated their position that was growing increasingly difficult ly BFC Dynamo, suffered financial
and, this season, made an even for the most beloved and famous collapse and were eventually expelled
unexpected title bid before falling two decades ago, are not representa- in the DDR. His children were bribed from the Bundesliga (the top two divi-
away from Bayern and Dortmund. It tive of the former DDR. with the bag of toys Calmund brought sions) altogether, settling in the third
is increasingly likely, however, that When the wall came down, West with him from the west, and Thom tier. The former Lok Leipzig played
they will be in the Champions League German football fans flocked east, on was suitably impressed by the num- a single disastrous season in the top
next season. It is a far cry from their a footballing pilgrimage to stadia that bers he talked about. Calmund went flight before sinking through five
near demise, begging supporters to had previously been off limits. What on to make a bid of 3.6 million Ger- divisions and never returning. FSV
come and build their stadium for they found was a footballing infra- man marks to BFC Dynamo, a record Zwickau, FC Magdeburg, and Sachsen
them. And it is a long awaited return structure that mirrored the collapsing at the time. Cash starved and facing Leipzig, all powerhouses before reuni-
to competitiveness for East German society. Dilapidated, wooden firetraps extinction, the East German club fication, went out of business. Zwickau
football, which was swept away with and crumbling stands. DDR clubs and gratefully accepted, and Thom took and Magdeburg have since reformed.
communism when the Berlin Wall fell. fans had, unsurprisingly, found more his family west to their new home. In many ways, East German football
The collapse of the wall changed the important uses for their time and in- Thom was the first, but there was continues to mirror the former DDR.
lives of millions in Germany, and vestment than football through such a no shortage of exceptional talent in Despite efforts over the last three dec-
billions around the world, signalling difficult time. And while West German the east that saw the riches on offer. ades to bring society up to the level of
the beginning of the end of the Cold fans lamented and commiserated the Thomas Doll, Ulf Kirsten and Matthi- for former West, it lags behind in most
War. It was a year earlier, however, decline, West German owners saw an as Sammer followed in the summer metrics. And East German football,
that East Germany had opened its opportunity. of 1990. BFC Dynamo, newly mon- similarly, has never fully recovered. At
borders to its Western brothers. It was Reiner Calmund, the ambitious ied but for the first time without the least in Union Berlin, there is finally
a victory for democracy, and started sporting director for Bayer Leverkus- support of repressive security services something to celebrate.
the process of reunification that had en, was the first to make a move. He (Dynamo, in a German context, usual-
been desired by so many for so long. headed east with a bag of cash and a ly means they were linked to the police Martyn Green, The Untold Game
But it also allowed the heart of East bag of toys, with one specific target in and the Stasi), replaced Thom with Find more at TheUntoldGame.co.uk
German football to be ripped out, and mind. Bayer already had a history with Heiko Schulz, who left Lok Leipzig or on social media, @TheUntoldGame
realistically, Union aside, it has never former DDR players, having signed for the East German champions for a
recovered. RB Leipzig, the Red Bull Falko Gotz and Dirk Schegel, who had record fee within the former DDR, 1
commercial project, formed less than fled the bitter reprisals of East Ger- million marks. Calmund took him to

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