Over 1,000 Eintracht Frankfurt fans were forced to wait an extra day after the team’s Europa League Round of 32 second leg was postponed due to hazardous weather. With nothing else to do in Salzburg, Austria, the Frankfurt fans went to a hockey game instead.
Frankfurt was scheduled to play Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday. With the game being postponed, a large portion of Frankfurt fans instead went to Red Bull’s farm hockey team game …. and rooted for the visiting Klagenfurt.
Heute keine Europa League in Salzburg? Egal! 1000 #SGE-Fans unterstützen heute beim Eishockey Klagenfurt gegen Red Bull. #SALSGE pic.twitter.com/JbcdrsvYcs
— Jonas (@jtresbach) February 27, 2020
The hockey rink stands sat completely empty except for the rowdy Frankfurt fans who definitely didn’t know who Klagenfurt was until Thursday. This wasn’t even the starting hockey teams, but the scrub players getting some playing time.
This didn’t matter to the Frankfurt/Klagenfurt faithful as they chanted “Away win! Away win!” after the visitors took the lead.
Unterdessen: Völlig verrückte Szenen beim Farmteam-Duell in Salzburg! Die jungen #Rotjacken gehen in Führung und 400 Eintracht-Fans skandieren "Auswärtssieg! Auswärtssieg!" - Haha. Danke, Frankfurt! #AlpsHockey pic.twitter.com/Nckv7xAojR
— EC-KAC (official) (@EC_KAC) February 27, 2020
The tweet from Klagenfurt reads, “Meanwhile: Completely crazy scenes at the farm team duel in Salzburg! The young #Rotjacken take the lead and 400 Eintracht fans chant “Away win! Away win!” - Haha. Thank you, Frankfurt! #AlpsHockey”
With the momentum of 400 screaming fans it’s no wonder Klagenfurt’s farm team came away with the victory. After a victorious penalty shootout, the Klagenfurt players helped lead in the celebrations after the game in what might be the greatest moment of cross-sport fandom in history.
Frankfurt and Red Bull are scheduled to play the second leg Friday at noon EST. If this farm league hockey game was any taste as for what’s to come, the support for Frankfurt will be rambunctious to say the least.