HSV still in the second division? "A scandal" for Willi Reimann
Former HSV and St. Pauli coach Willi Reimann believes that both Hamburg clubs will be promoted to the Bundesliga this season. The 73-year-old is struggling to make a prediction for the city derby on Friday evening (18:30/Sky). "It's an even game. Form says: St. Pauli are the favorites. But I'm confident that HSV will win the game," Reimann told the German Press Agency.
The former HSV professional moved from the then up-and-coming second division club FC St. Pauli to the then DFB Cup winners Hamburger SV as coach in 1987. He was the first coach in German professional soccer for whom a club paid a transfer fee.
He later led VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt to promotion to the Bundesliga and returned to St. Pauli in 1999. "I worked for both clubs, but of course I'm more of a HSVer," said Reimann. "I played there, I'm a member there: my heart beats more for HSV, I can't say that any other way."
He would be delighted to see both city rivals promoted and a Hamburg derby in the Bundesliga. "I have every confidence in St. Pauli. They have made great progress," said Reimann. "And the fact that HSV is still playing in the second division is a scandal. When I was active, we played in front of 15,000 spectators in the European Cup. And now there are 55,000 against Sandhausen. This club belongs in the first division."
In his football career, Reimann transformed FC St. Pauli from a second-tier club into a promising team, and later coached HSV, the DFB Cup winners. Despite his loyalty to HSV, he finds it scandalous that the club is still playing in Bundesliga 2, having seen HSV play in front of large crowds in European competitions during his active years.
Source: www.dpa.com
