Rivals and Affinities
HSV shares a cross-town rivalry with FC St. Pauli and contests the Nordderby with fellow Northern Germany side Werder Bremen. In the Spring of 2009 HSV headed Werder Bremen four times, in only three weeks, and defeated in UEFA-Cup semi-final, as if in the DFB-Pokal semi-final. HSV have an affinity with Scottish club Rangers. HSV fans unfurl their club logo at Rangers' away European matches. The link between Rangers and Hamburg dates back to 1977 when the Hamburg Rangers Supporters' Club was set up by HSV fans who had visited Rangers matches before and were thrilled by the atmosphere at Ibrox. The links were further strengthened when Rangers signed Jörg Albertz from Hamburg and when Hamburg won UEFA Cup and Europa League matches against Rangers' most notorious rivals Celtic FC. The friendship between Celtic FC and Hamburg's rivals FC St. Pauli has no influence on this friendship though. Rangers Ultras group Union Bears have a strong friendship with Hamburg Ultras group Chosen Few Hamburg. HSV have a friendship bond with Hannover 96, due to both being known as HSV. Their meetings involve the visitors' club song to be played, and fans chanting HSV from each end of the stadium.
Read more about this topic: Hamburger SV
Famous quotes containing the words rivals and/or affinities:
“What poet would not grieve to see
His brother write as well as he?
But rather than they should excel,
He’d wish his rivals all in Hell.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
“A man is known by the books he reads, by the company he keeps, by the praise he gives, by his dress, by his tastes, by his distastes, by the stories he tells, by his gait, by the notion of his eye, by the look of his house, of his chamber; for nothing on earth is solitary but every thing hath affinities infinite.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)