This Saturday, the often certified ability of the supporters of Arminia Bielefeld will have to withstand a major challenge. In the final home game against RB Leipzig, it is important to cope with the almost inevitable descent. To this end, the fans experience the last appearance of some of their heroes of the past few years, especially those of the currently injured cult player Fabian Klos.
If everything comes as it is prescribed, it will be the second sporting descent for Klos with Arminia. After the first in 2014 from the 2nd league, dramatically concluded in the relegation against Darmstadt, he had quickly and unconventional to stay in Bielefeld in the heyday of his career and to remedy the accident. From then on, the later club record goalkeeper accompanied the constant upswing to the 2nd league including the consolidation there up to the acclaimed Bundesliga promotion in 2020.
The last contract year at Arminia should be different for Klos. After relegation in 2021, to which he had also contributed considerably again with his goal in the last game in the 2-0 victory in Stuttgart, there were rather half-cooked solutions. The 33-year-old at the time was supposed to hang up a year, step by step into the role of the back-up for the next generation of strikers. He should not hand in the captain’s armband, instead share with the co-captain Manuel Prietl. All of this didn’t really work.
I don’t leave any gaps open that could not be closed.
Fabian Klos
The successors in attack like Bryan Lasme and Janni Serra hardly met Bundesliga claims. Prietl looked pale and overwhelmed as captain, and also had a difficult year due to illness. Klos himself initially swam with the announcement of his farewell at the end of the season in February, after Arminia had developed a six-point lead before the penultimate place in the table with a 1-0 victory over Union Berlin: ” I said the boys in the team after the game against Union that I was very proud of the victory. I wish nothing more than that we do it the same way in the next games, “said the Gifhorner native. “I don’t leave any gaps open here that could not be closed. We have a young, good team that is developing further and further. With people who hopefully can step in my footsteps at some point.”
difficult relationship between Klos and Arabi
Klos’ hopes were not confirmed. The team structure did not remain unencumbered with the difficult relationship between him and sports director Samir Arabi, including, among other things, he could no longer become a big key figure in the relegation battle. Finally, the severe and unhappy head injury against Stuttgart (1-1) in early April. On a stretcher he left the field on the day that he would have liked to have entered as a player in the rest of the season and on which he can now experience the deserved, great applause from the Bielefeld public for the last time.
Small consolation maybe: The countless, already expressed priorities for the ever popular player are presumably more worth it than a monument near the stadium that some admirers already demanded for their “football god”. “It was rewarded by the fans how I live the club. The title will remain connected to my name forever,” said Klos at the great homage of the stands. “I feel honored that there is a petition for a statue, but now I’m not the type who has to or want to see a great image of itself every day.”
Klos continues his career elsewhere
Klos’ energy seemed unbroken until the end, and at his farewell press conference he announced that he wanted to continue his career elsewhere. Not completely excluded that he will meet “his” Arminia in the 2nd division next year.
If one day he appears in Bielefeld in the colors of another club – the local fan soul would undoubtedly be put to the test again.
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