"96 goes European": Since the Reds have been on the European stage, the fan base has also grown outside Germany, in particular in Malta. A group of 12 fans from the island nation were invited to watch the Bundesliga game between Hannover 96 and 1. FC Nürnberg.

First stadium visit in Germany

“It’s our first visit to a stadium in Germany and the first time we’ve ever seen a live Hannover game”, explained Malachy Portelli, a big football fan and coach of Mgarr 17s, a team in the north of Malta.

Travel to Hannover for Coldplay and 96

The group is in Hannover for a week and are staying in the Kibar block of flats. “It was a matter of coincidence that our guests from Malta chose to stay with us. They googled hotels in Hannover and came across our apartments”, explained hotelier Thomas Katz. “At first I thought they were here for the exhibition but then when they arrived in their Coldplay T-shirts, I knew that wasn’t the case.” Apart from the Hannover 96 game, the Coldplay concert was the other pivotal reason for their visit to the city on the Leine. “After we bought tickets for the Coldplay concert, we looked to see if Hannover were playing at home and we were in luck”, said the happy group. Draped in a 96 scarf, the group got in the right mood before the game by visiting the 'Nordkurve' sports bar.

Aside from ‘Europa League’ songs, they also had a run-through of their own chant – “From Malta to Hannover, Nürnberg game over.” They were spot on with this prophecy as the Reds dominated proceedings, winning 4-1. It had been a great experience for the group from the south European island nation. “We also wanted to learn the 96 song “Alte Liebe”, but seeing as we all can’t speak German, that proved too difficult”, explained Christina Borg Saydon.


The 12 fans from Malta are really excited about their first Hannover home game

“Hannover 96 is our favourite team”

With the Premier League there is in fact a football league in Malta, but the standard of football isn’t quite up to that of the Bundesliga. “The atmosphere is good when the best teams in Malta come up against each other, but the number of spectators is nowhere near what you get in Germany. We’re looking forward to the stadium atmosphere inside the AWD-Arena, we’ve heard lots about the great fan culture in Hannover”, said Ruben Camilleri. But where has the fascination with the Reds come from? “Hannover 96 is our favourite team in Germany. Ever since they’ve played on the international scene we’ve watched almost every game”, as the European games are also shown on television in Malta. “The Reds simply play great football”, said the enthusiastic fans. The guests from Malta watched 96’s Europa League match with FC Twente in a pub in Hannover. They followed the Reds’ first defeat of the season from a quayside pub in Hamburg. “The loss to Hoffenheim hurt”, confessed Malachy.

Hannover convinces

In order to show his hotel guests as many different parts of Hannover and the surrounding areas as possible, Thomas Katz put together an excursion programme. Alongside the previously mentioned trip to Hamburg, Wednesday saw them visit Wurmberg in the Harz mountain range ahead of the Bundesliga match with Nürnberg. “We really like Hannover”, they all agreed. Even the chilly, wet, northern weather didn’t put the Maltese fans off. “It’s a different experience to lying on a beach in Malta”, said Natalie Muscat. “But the 96-scarfs are keeping us warm.”

Hannover’s supporters from Malta left for the stadium saying, “We’re definitely coming back.” The 4-1 win will certainly have reinforced their decision.

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