Riding the elevator: Arminia Bielefeld vs MSV Duisburg.

Words: Han Balk

Images: Han Balk

Arminia Bielefeld vs MSV Duisburg might not be the most eye-catching German match of the weekend, with Bayern Munich playing Borussia Dortmund and Kaiserslautern taking on Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga.

But today, we are heading to a match in the third tier of German football between two clubs that have been promoted or relegated a total of 27 times since the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963.

Leading this dubious ranking is 1. FC Nürnberg with eight promotions and nine relegations, but Arminia Bielefeld closely follows with eight promotions and eight relegations, never staying in the top flight for more than five consecutive years.

Today’s opponent is also no stranger to promotion and relegation. MSV Duisburg played in the top flight from the establishment of the Bundesliga in 1963 until 1982, and were last relegated from the highest German division in 2008.

The club from Duisburg has been promoted five times, relegated six times, and this season faces a seventh relegation from professional football.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. Arminia Bielefeld vs MSV Duisburg.

The Zebras are currently in 18th place in the 3. Liga. Over the past three years, Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, as the club is officially known, has consistently lingered at the bottom of the 3. Liga and narrowly escaped relegation to the Regionalliga on several occasions.

Germans have a nice term for a club that are frequently promoted and/or relegated, “Fahrstuhlmannschaft”, literally translated as an “elevator team” but in English is better known as a yo-yo club.

As mentioned, Die Arminen are a close second when it comes to promotion or relegation. The club from the Eastern part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia returned to the Bundesliga in 2020 after an 11-year absence.

However, their stay in the top flight was short-lived. They were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga in 2022 and then, a year later, were relegated to the 3. Liga via a playoffs with Wehen Wiesbaden. The free fall seems far from over.

At the end of the season, four teams will be relegated from professional football and join one of the Regionalligas. With Arminia in 15th place, survival is still not assured, and if they lose to Duisburg today, a third consecutive relegation looms dangerously close.

Arminia Bielefeld’s history has a few dark pages. For example, in the early 1970s Arminia were embroiled in a major Bundesliga match-fixing scandal. As a result, they lost their license and were relegated to the second tier.

In 2011, the club faced enormous debts and had to rely on the emergency fund of the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). As a result, the club was relegated to the third tier.

A few years later, the debt had risen to 26.5 million, and the club’s license was again in jeopardy. Through the sale of the stadium, the club managed to survive once more.

Arminia Bielefeld against MSV Duisburg is not a derby since both cities are about two hours apart. Arminia saves its dislike for Preußen Münster. A week earlier, Bielefeld reached the final of the Westphalia Cup at the expense of Münster. A victory in the final would secure a spot in the first round of the national DFB Pokal, but today, survival in professional football is all that matters.

Although it may be a match in the basement of German professional football, 23,996 spectators have come to the Bielefelder Alm, the stadium where the club has been playing since 1926, on this Easter Sunday for a 19:30 kick-off.

The nearly 100-year-old stadium has undergone numerous renovations. Although the sponsor name SchücoArena may sound like a modern, standard stadium, it’s far from the case.

The Alm, or the SchücoArena since 2004 is located in the western part of the city of Bielefeld, unlike most modern German stadiums that are far from populated areas.

We park our car near the university and take the underground to the stadium. There’s a poster on the platform that reads “Come to greet the bus!” and it is clear that this match is alive.

As we arrive at the stadium a few minutes later, there’s already a hint of pyro, and about two hours before kickoff, thousands of people are lining the road to greet the Arminia team bus.

The Alm has a capacity of about 27,000 spectators, including 20,000 seats, making it one of the better German stadia.

Also notable is the old school Fan-Post flyer, which is still available in the era of social media.

The match starts off well. Even before the first banner is displayed by the 4000 guests from Duisburg, the home team could have been one-nil up.

There is no shortage of atmosphere and protests today. The Bielefelder Südtribune makes a lot of noise and clearly states that everyone in Germany knows that football is played at the Alm in Bielefeld, and according to the away section, German football belongs on Saturdays.

The match ends in a 2-0 victory for Bielefeld, putting Arminia four points above the relegation zone. The chance that MSV Duisburg could add a point to the Elevator ranking and drop to the Regionalliga is still very real. With seven games remaining, the gap to safety is still four points and the fans from Duisburg could do with a lift in spirits.

You can find Han on Twitter and Instagram: @hanbalk

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