Bremen – November 13th, 2004, the Volksseele cooks in the Weserstadion. Referee Dr. From the point of view of SV Werder Bremen and its fans, Felix Brych ended the game against Bayer Leverkusen too early when the score was 2: 2 and so took Werder’s chance of a win. Objects fly out of the east curve. “Coins and lighters,” recalls Michael Grimm. His job is to protect the referee on the way into the players’ tunnel.
But the tension folder as always his big screen. Everything is going well, Brych comes in unharmed. Then the shock. “We found a school group next to the tunnel,” recalls Michael Grimm: “After that, the tunnel was lengthened for safety reasons.” For 20 years, Grimm stands in front of it at almost every home game of the SV Werder Bremen – now the 61-year-old stops.
“Thank goodness nobody has ever seriously injured themselves,” says Grimm: “Okay, I’ve already had one or two beer showers, but that happens after goals.” He laughs. With the fans in the Ostkurve Grimm always got along well, after all, he stood there himself for years. And some projectiles were definitely worthwhile. “That quickly raised ten marks in coins. That was a lot of money, we didn’t earn that much as a folder, ”reports Grimm and talks about the paper bags that were given to him and his colleagues after the games at the end of the 1980s:“ There were 32 marks in there ” he stood in an old police uniform during the game.
Werder Bremen folder Michael Grimm chatted with world stars like Ronaldinho and Rudi Völler
After an eight year hiatus, Grimm returned in 1998 as folder ins Weser Stadium back. As of 2000, his place was on Player tunnel – and it became a small institution. Everyone knew him – coaches, players, officials and journalists who conducted their interviews in this area and who were absolutely dependent on Grimm’s help. “He’s one of the indispensable”, ennobles Honorary President Klaus-Dieter Fischer, one of the most famous and popular stewards in the Weser Stadium. Always conscientious, but also able to make situational decisions.
For some games, Michael Grimm was also given a jacket and tie as a folder.
© nordphoto
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“It was a lot of fun for me. I met so many great people, ”enthuses Grimm. For example Ronaldinho, who made two appearances in the Champions League in 2005 and 2006 with FC Barcelona in the Weserstadion. “During the final training session the evening before the game, one or two balls landed on me and I shot them back. Then he came to me and had a really nice chat with me. ”Rudi Völler was even nicer. The ex-Bremer was supposed to be the national team boss at the time in 2004 SV Werder Bremen hand over the championship trophy after the home game against Leverkusen. “We knew each other a bit from before. And suddenly he said to me: Come with me. “Marriage Michael Grimm had the championship trophy in hand in the stadium’s catacombs – for a very special souvenir photo.
Than it at Werder Bremen 2016 didn’t go so well under Viktor Skripnik, when the Grimm folder briefly became the Grimm lucky charm. “I just put on my old Werder jersey from Christian Schulz and we immediately won. The next game too. ”Skripnik got wind of the story and asked him personally before the next game whether he was wearing the winning jersey again. However, the magic did not last long – Skripnik has long been history at Werder as a coach, and Grimm is now also a steward.
Werder Bremen: Michael Grimm folder is no longer needed for ghost games in the corona pandemic
In his main job as a clerk at Metro Logistic in Bremen, he will soon be taking early retirement. And the father of a daughter has been living in Zeven with his second wife for a year. Through the trips his part-time job would be Folder in the Weserstadion and in 11th place, where he was also used in the Bundesliga women and U23 games, on the subsidy business. “It’s time to go,” says Michael Grimm. Of course it is sad that he has not been allowed to stand in front of his tunnel since the home game against Borussia Dortmund in February. In the corona pandemic, it is no longer needed for ghost games.
“It’s a shame, but it can’t be changed,” the outgoing steward doesn’t want to complain, but is already looking forward to his new task: He wants to sort his collection of 1,593 pins and put them on cork walls. The pins of the clubs from all over the world – many of them collected before and after the Werder games – will always remind him of his job at the Weserstadion. And Bayer Leverkusen’s pin definitely went to November 13, 2004, when referee Brych had ended the game four seconds before regular time was over, even though stoppage time of two minutes had been indicated. (knee)
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