Lower Saxony derby

The Lower Saxony derby (German: Niedersachsenderby) usually refers to a match between the two Lower Saxonian association football clubs Hannover 96 und Eintracht Braunschweig. As of 2017, 147 such matches have taken place, of which Eintracht Braunschweig won 66 and Hannover 96 won 54; 27 matches ended in a draw.[1]

Lower Saxony derby
Other namesNiedersachsenderby
Locale Lower Saxony, Germany
TeamsHannover 96
Eintracht Braunschweig
Latest meetingHannover 1–0 Braunschweig
2. Bundesliga
(16 April 2017)
Next meetingHannover v Braunschweig
2. Bundesliga
(2–5 October 2020)
StadiumsHDI-Arena, Hanover
Eintracht-Stadion, Braunschweig
Statistics
Meetings total147
Most winsEintracht Braunschweig
(66 wins)
Most player appearancesJürgen Bandura
Klaus Gerwien
(18 matches each)
Top scorerHans Siemensmeyer
(6 goals)
Largest victoryBraunschweig 0–4 Hannover
Bundesliga
(8 May 1971)
Hannover 4–0 Braunschweig
Regionalliga Nord
(12 December 1996)

Description

The cities of Hanover und Braunschweig are only 55 km (34 mi) apart.[2] In the media, matches of the two teams against VfL Wolfsburg and in part also against VfL Osnabrück are called Lower Saxony derbies; this view is not shared by many supporters and club officials.[3][4][5]

History

The beginnings (1905–1963)

Eintracht Braunschweig was founded in 1895, Hannover 96 one year later as Hannoverscher Fußball-Club. The first match between the two teams took place in the first decade of the 1900s. Hannover 96 won the German championship in 1938 and 1954. Until the 1962–63 season, Braunschweig won 54 matches, with Hannover winning 38 matches and 14 matches ending in a draw.

Foundation of the Bundesliga in 1963: Birth of the sports rivalry

After the decision to create a nationwide Bundesliga, three clubs from the Oberliga Nord were permitted to participate in the Bundesliga. Since Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen were directly admitted to the Bundesliga, only one free spot remained. Since Hannover 96 had the larger stadium, the higher average attendance and better financial prerequisites und was also ranked higher than Braunschweig in the German Football Association's twelve-year ranking, Hannover's officials were sure that they would receive the spot in the Bundesliga.[3][6] Still, Braunschweig was awarded the spot on 6 May 1963, for which the only criterion was their final position in the 1962–63 season: while Hannover 96 finished in ninth place, Braunschweig had come in third. In Hanover, the decision was met with incomprehension and provoked major protests.[3] However, the official lawsuit against the licensing was dismissed.[6] Many see the circumstances of the Bundesliga foundation as the cause or at least as a reinforcement of the rivalry between the clubs and their supporters.[7][5]

Eintracht Braunschweig won the German championship in the 1966–67 season, but lost both season matches against Hannover 96.

Present day

In the recent past, the duels between Hannover and Braunschweig have become a rarity due to league affiliation. In the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons, when Hannover 96 was relegated to the third-tier Regionalliga, both clubs played for the championship and the promotion play-offs until the end of the season; Hannover 96 won the championship in the Regionalliga Nord both seasons. In 1998, the championship was decided through a win in the direct duel on the second-to-last matchday. A similar situation also occurred in the 2016–17 season, when Hannover was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga after 14 years in the Bundesliga and duelled Eintracht Braunschweig for a direct promotion spot until the last matchday. Hannover's win in the match against Braunschweig on the 29th matchday was co-deciding in this season. Braunschweig's last win against Hannover dates back to the 29th matchday of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season. However, the club was relegated at the end of the season, while Hannover remained in the Bundesliga.

In recent years, matches between the two clubs are always classified as high-risk matches by the police and extensive security measures are taken to contain the always massive riots of the fans during the derby.

Other Lower Saxony derbies

The matches of Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig against VfL Wolfsburg are also occasionally called Lower Saxony derbies, since VfL Wolfsburg is also based in Lower Saxony and has played in the Bundesliga since 1997. However, in public perception these matches are only seen as "real" derbies to a lesser extent, since especially the fan scenes of the other two clubs do not view Wolfsburg as a "real" club that is rich in tradition. The 2017 Bundesliga promotion/relegation play-offs between Braunschweig and Wolfsburg, both cities only 30 km (19 mi) apart, was an exception as it was unusually charged due to the high stakes.

SV Meppen, which played in the 2. Bundesliga for a while in the 1990s, also played a few derbies against the Lower Saxonian northwestern rivals VfL Osnabrück and VfB Oldenburg as well as the then second-tier clubs Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig. Other teams that have played second-tier Lower Saxony derbies since the 1970s were Olympia Wilhelmshaven, Göttingen 05, Arminia Hannover, OSV Hannover and TSV Havelse.

Trivia

Before the match in Hanover during the first half of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season, Braunschweig supporters provoked the home fans with a pig that ran through the Hanover city centre wearing a Hannover club scarf and with the number 96 painted onto its side.[8] Also, crosses were put up in the Braunschweig area and supporters of both clubs initiated vigilante groups in front of their stadiums.[9] Furthermore, a brewery from Braunschweig was Hannover's shirt sponsor in the 1980s. Eintracht Braunschweig supporters avoid saying the club name "Hannover 96" and also the number 96, which is replaced with "95+1".

Statistics since 1963
As of 15 April 2017[10]

  Hannover 96 win   Draw   Eintracht Braunschweig win

Bundesliga
SeasonDateHomeAwayResult
1964–6526 Sep 1964HannoverBraunschweig2–2
13 Feb 1965BraunschweigHannover2–2
1965–6611 Sep 1965BraunschweigHannover2–1
7 Apr 1966HannoverBraunschweig1–1
1966–6712 Nov 1966HannoverBraunschweig4–2
29 Apr 1967BraunschweigHannover0–1
1967–6814 Oct 1967HannoverBraunschweig1–1
16 Mar 1968BraunschweigHannover0–1
1968–6916 Nov 1968HannoverBraunschweig1–1
23 May 1969BraunschweigHannover3–3
1969–7023 Aug 1969BraunschweigHannover1–1
3 Mar 1970HannoverBraunschweig0–2
1970–7131 Oct 1970HannoverBraunschweig1–0
8 May 1971BraunschweigHannover0–4
1971–721 Sep 1971BraunschweigHannover3–0
19 Feb 1972HannoverBraunschweig3–0
1972–7325 Nov 1972HannoverBraunschweig2–1
26 May 1973BraunschweigHannover3–2
1975–7625 Oct 1975BraunschweigHannover3–2
17 Apr 1976HannoverBraunschweig2–0
2013–148 Nov 2013HannoverBraunschweig0–0
6 Apr 2014BraunschweigHannover3–0

2. Bundesliga
SeasonDateHomeAwayResult
1980–8126 Sep 1980HannoverBraunschweig1–1
20 Mar 1981BraunschweigHannover2–0
1986–8712 Sep 1986HannoverBraunschweig1–0
3 Apr 1987HannoverBraunschweig1–1
1989–9028 Jul 1989BraunschweigHannover1–0
25 Nov 1989HannoverBraunschweig3–0
1990–915 Sep 1990BraunschweigHannover0–1
28 Mar 1991HannoverBraunschweig3–0
1991–9221 Sep 1991BraunschweigHannover1–3
8 Dec 1991HannoverBraunschweig1–1
1992–931 Aug 1992BraunschweigHannover3–2
28 Feb 1993HannoverBraunschweig0–1
2016–176 Nov 2016BraunschweigHannover2–2
15 Apr 2017HannoverBraunschweig1–0
2020–212–5 Oct 2020HannoverBraunschweig
5–8 Feb 2021BraunschweigHannover

Regionalliga Nord
SeasonDateHomeAwayResult
1996–9730 Aug 1996BraunschweigHannover3–2
12 Dec 1996HannoverBraunschweig4–0
1997–989 Nov 1997HannoverBraunschweig1–1
7 May 1998BraunschweigHannover0–1

DFB-Pokal
SeasonDateHomeAwayResult
2003–0429 Oct 2003BraunschweigHannover2–0

DFB-Ligapokal
SeasonDateHomeAwayResult
1972–735 Jul 1972BraunschweigHannover2–0
26 Jul 1972HannoverBraunschweig2–3

Summary
CompetitionMatchesHannover winsDrawsBraunschweig winsGoals
Bundesliga2288634–30
2. Bundesliga1464418–12
Regionalliga Nord42118–4
DFB-Pokal10010–2
DFB-Ligapokal20022–5
Total4316131462–53

Literature
  • Werner Balhauff: Hannover 96 – von Tradition und Herzblut für den Fußball. Fakten, Mythen Wissen und Meilensteine. E-Book at Neobooks, 2015.
  • Volker Bergmeister, Erich Scheck: Was für ein Tag!: 366 Kalendergeschichten rund um den Fußball. Norderstedt 2016, S. 351.

References
  1. "Lebendige Tradition: Hannover vs. Braunschweig: Das Niedersachsen-Derby im Wandel der Zeit". kicker.de (in German). kicker.
  2. "Das Niedersachsenderby: Eine Rivalität viel größer als Fußball". goal.com (in German). Goal. 6 November 2016.
  3. "Messeparkplatz-Ost vs West-Peine". 11freunde.de (in German). 11 Freunde. 8 November 2013.
  4. "Die kleine Nummer". fr.de (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau. 17 September 2010.
  5. "Derbygeschichte: Hannover 96 gegen Eintracht Braunschweig". haz.de (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.
  6. "Diese Männer schnappten 96 vor 50 Jahren die 1. Liga weg". haz.de (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. 9 May 2013.
  7. "Hannover mischt 1964 die Liga auf". ndr.de (in German). Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 27 May 2012.
  8. "Polizei fängt Schwein mit Hannover-Schal ein". welt.de. Die Welt. 7 November 2013.
  9. "Schwein mit 96-Schal irrt durch Hannover". neuepresse.de. Neue Presse. 7 November 2013.
  10. "Direktvergleich". kicker.de. kicker. 15 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.